The Sabah standoff from Phillippines media's point

There is more to the ongoing standoff between Malaysian forces and some 300 armed men holed up in a coastal village in Sabah than meets the eye.  The latter are Filipino nationals, though they identify themselves as members of the “Royal Security Forces of the Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo.”  They have announced that they sailed to Sabah to reclaim their rightful homeland.  Heaven forbid that any harm should befall them.  For, that will play right into the hands of those who, for some reason or other, wish to derail the current peace effort in Mindanao and foment a rift between Malaysia and the Philippines.

Jeffrey Asks if Lahad Datu Standoff a Charade to Scare Voters

Does the government led by BN trying to divert voters attention?

By Junior Fendi 
KOTA KINABALU: The State Reform Party suspects that the Barisan Nasional government is trying to gain political mileage from the Lahad Datu standoff, using it to scare the people into voting for the BN in the coming general elections.

 

“It is even possible that this is an elaborate BN military strategy choreographed to achieve that purpose,” its state chairman, Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan said in a statement. “This new form of fear mongering makes sense knowing BN’s desperation in wanting to hold on to power in the light of the ruling coalition’s lowest level of popularity and support at the moment.”

 

Where’s the logic, Hisham?

If the current soft 'handling' of the incursions by armed Filipinos
into Lahad Datu is any measure, then it is clear that Sabahans'
safety is inconsequential to the federal government.

It is an irony how promptly Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein ordered the arrest and deportation of Australian Senator Nick Xenophon while 100 armed Filipinos in military fatigue were being handled with kid gloves by the police and Special Branch officers because they had “links” in Sabah.

Xenophon arrived solo and unarmed but was considered a security threat. But in Lahad Datu, some 100 “soldiers” from the alleged Royal Sultanate of Sulu Army who were armed with “M-14, M-16, M203 and Armalite assault rifles” were considered friendly, “not militants” and “not a threat”.

‘Don’t harm my followers in Sabah’

A supposed heir to the Sulu sultanate wants the Malaysian
government not to harm his followers and wants the
Philippine president to peacefully settle their claims to Sabah.

ZAMBOANGA CITY: A supposed heir to the throne of the sultanate of Sulu province has called on Malaysia not to harm the sultanate’s followers holed out in Lahad Datu.

Sultan Raja Mohammad Ghamar Mamay Hasan Abdurajak said that Sabah rightfully belongs to the sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo and he wants President Benigno Aquino to peacefully their claims.

He also said that those who were rounded up by Malaysian security forces are natives of the sultanate and should be accorded their rights to the oil-rich Malaysian state near the Philippine province of Tawi-Tawi.

Lahad Datu – a dangerous game

Source

Why haven't the Sabah police acted against rumoured
disturbances within the state following the 'siege' by
militants in Lahad Datu?

LAHAD DATU: The current drama in Lahad Datu following the incursion of armed men from the Philippines and the government’s “gentle” approach to the situation could backfire on the Barisan Nasional leadership if it is indeed a tactical strategy to scare Sabahans into voting for the ruling coalition.

“If this is the BN game, then it is a dangerous strategy,” said State Reform Party (STAR) chief Jeffrey Kitingan.

“It [the strategy] is a double-edged sword because it can backfire and cause the people to vote against the BN for its obvious failure in flexing the [government's] military muscle for the sake of national dignity and sovereignty.

Lahad Datu stand-off: 3 Al-Jazeera journalists detained for 7 hrs

Source

LAHAD DATU: Three Al-Jazeera journalists covering the stand-off with the Sulu gunmen were detained for nearly seven hours by the police and released.

They were detained at about 8am on Wednesday in a boat near Tanjung Labian not far from the seaside village of Kg Tanduo and taken to the Cenderawasih police station for questioning.

Detained together with them was a boatman and three locals.

Is Lahad Datu siege a Umno-BN plan?

The government's 'unconvincing actions' via negotiations
had 'legitimised' the Sulu army's demands and made us
a laughing stock, said STAR chief Jeffrey Kitingan.

By Raymond Tombung

KOTA KINABALU: Is the incursion of more than 100 armed Filipino men from the alleged royal Sulu army an elaborate federal level Umno strategy to scare Sabahans into voting back the Barisan Nasional in the 13th general election?

Is that why the federal government and its top leaders – Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak included – seem unperturbed by the threats and demands of the Manila-acknowledged Sultan of Sulu Jamalul Kiram III and his men led by brother Raja Muda Abimuddin who are holed up in Lahad Datu since Feb 9?

Isn’t it possible that Putrajaya and Manila are in cahoots? After all, it has been reported in the Philippine media that President Benigno Aquino was “informed of the incursions from Day One”. Also noteworthy is that Malaysia took credit as peacemaker in the long-drawn insurgency in the southern Philippines.

Anwar Accused of Bible Burning

By Tuhun Tavakas
KOTA KINABALU- The latest hot gossip to erupt the coffee shop tables is that of PKR leader Datuk Sri Anwar Ibrahim burning the Holy Bible. The leakage spread from KDM servants inside JPM (Jabatan Perdana Menteri) that Datuk Sri Anwar once burnt the Holy Bible and has never atoned for this heinous act has enraged many a KDM voter. But checks on You-Tube however failed to find any evidence of Datuk Anwar Ibrahim actually burning the Holy Bible. This insensitive tactic to lure the KDM voters back to BN by JPM insiders just goes toi show to us how desperate a mere 9% Christian population the BN needs to hold on and remain in power. So far PKR and Datuk Anwar have not commented on this rumour.

Pairin, Dompok, Kurup in rare show of unity

Against simmering anti-BN sentiments amongst the
Kadazan Dusun Murut communities, PBS, Upko
and PBRS leaders came together in the name of religion.

KOTA KINABALU: Three Kadazandusun Murut (KDM) leaders offered each other the hand of unity last night in a long awaited encounter, symbolising their resolve to help Barisan Nasional (BN) win the 13th general election.

Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) president Joseph Pairin Kitingan, United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (UPKO) president Bernard Dompok, and Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS) president Joseph Kurup shook hands at a ceremony to hand over RM4.5 million worth of goods to heads of churches in Sabah, here.

In what is seen as a show of solidarity, they are bent on working together to ensure victory for BN led by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak.

Kah Kiat now in PKR camp?

By Luke Rintod of FMT

If rumours are any indication, the end is near for
Liberal Democratic Party – Sabah BN's local
Chinese arm.

KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah political grapevine is abuzz with rumours that former Sabah chief minister and ex-Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) president Chong Kah Kiat has joined PKR.

Word is that Chong, along with two other eminent former state Barisan Nasional assemblymen, joined opposition PKR in a secret meeting with PKR supremo Anwar Ibrahim who was here last week.

Chong, who was once a federal minister, was also the former assemblyman for Tanjung Kapur.

The other two are Yapin Gimpoton who once held Kadamaian and Ahmadshah Tambakau, a former Bingkor representative. Ahmadshah, a ex-federal deputy minister, was also once Keningau MP.