“If we handle it (Lahad Datu) in the way like the old days... you are asking for trouble.”

Those were the words of former Deputy Prime Minister Tun Musa Hitam in his response about the situation in Lahad Datu.

He said the conflict is not simply a shooting war, it is a psychological warfare.

“This warfare relates to the well-being of those people who are there. What are you going to do with them (the Suluks)? There are all there.

“So if they become very negative and you regard every Suluks as an enemy, you are in deep trouble,” said Tun Musa to the Press after a dialogue session entitled ‘Bicara Minda: Survival Ekonomi Melayu’ (Malay Economic Survival) at Karangkraf on Tuesday.

He said, there is a need for a in depth study for this conflict as the situation is very serious and there are hundreds of thousands of Suluks in Sabah.

“We should not take it lightly like any other happening. We should not celebrate and congratulate ourselves so early. We must realise that this is an issue that has never happened before,” he said.

Earlier, Tun Musa was asked to comment on the way Lahad Datu was handled by the government now compared to the Memali incident.

Tun Musa was also the Minister of Home Affairs at that time.

He said the job was very challenging and if one is not able to meet the challenge, it will invite trouble.

The Memali incident - which took place in the remote village of Memali, Baling, Kedah on November 19, 1985 - became the nation’s highlight some time ago.

The incident killed 14 people and wounded dozens of others. The police also detained 159 people, including women and children. Thirty-six persons involved in the incident were arrested under the Internal Security Act on January 1986 but later released in June.