Lahad Datu intrusion: We did not fail, says Home Ministry

The Home Ministry insisted that the government did not fail in handling the Lahad Datu crisis despite criticisms by lawmakers in the Dewan Rakyat mainly over its delay in responding to the intrusion.

Deputy Home Minister Datuk Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said that the time taken had saved Malaysian lives.

“I don’t see it as a failure of the police, or failure of anyone. It was just our strategy to move out before we receive more collateral damage. If we just attacked, we would have killed our own people. This was what we wanted to avoid,” Wan Junaidi told Astro Awani.

He explained there was also a need to identify the enemy, and the police, who were intelligence officers, sent in to assess the situation, but later ambushed and brutalized.

“There was also a need to bring out those who were not terrorists from the villages, because they had already infiltrated deep into the communities. That took time, “he said.

Wan Junaidi said there were also villagers who were reluctant to move, a situation similar to that of communists in the Rajang Area Security Command (Rascom) in Sarawak in the 1970s.

Earlier in the Dewan Rakyat, Wan Junaidi responded to a question by BN backbencher Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin (BN-Kinabatangan) on whether there were Malaysians who were also followers of Sultan Kiram III.

Wan said that of the 30 men prosecuted, four were Malaysians while one was a permanent resident. He said another was still in the hospital and will be brought to court soon.

“Why did it take so long for investigations? Why was there need for negotiations when they were clearly terrorists who wanted to lay claim to Sabah?” asked Bung.

A calm Wan Junaidi explained that it took some time to make sure the intentions of the intruders and if they were armed.

“That means our police are no good lah?” said Bung, to which Wan said that when police were attacked, only did they realise they were terrorists.

“In the ASEAN spirit, we had to involve politicians. We did not know who they were. After knowing their intentions, then only military action was taken and in the end we stopped the intrusion.”

Meanwhile, Datuk Abdul Ghapur Salleh (BN-Kalabakan) asked why there were no government actions to patrol the areas between Philippines and Sabah.

“The government had taken two weeks only to know it was an intrusion. When people came into my house, can I still negotiate? I cannot, I will take my shotgun and shot them. We can’t swallow these so-call words of comfort when we are going through sleepless nights,” said Abdul Ghapur.