PETALING JAYA,Sept 21: A former federal minister has slammed a senior Warisan leader for allegedly describing the 2013 Lahad Datu intrusion as a farce.
This comes after a video purportedly showing the leader making the remarks during campaigning in the Sabah state election.
FMT is withholding the leader’s name pending comment. Attempts to contact the leader have been unsuccessful.
In the two-and-a-half-minute video, the leader, who is also a former federal minister, claims that security forces bombed oil palm trees and homes, and that troops on the ground went in to fight with “chickens and dogs”.
“When the election (2013 general election) was over, there was no more war,” he said, adding that during his previous stint as an assemblyman, he had not come across any armed pirates or Filipinos who wanted to declare war or take Sabah back.
He said a lot of people died in the Lahad Datu intrusion because of the “sandiwara” (farce).
On Feb 11, 2013, some 200 Sulu militants entered Sabah waters and landed in Lahad Datu, leading to a stand-off with Malaysian security forces which ended with the death of 56 militants, 10 Malaysian security officers and six civilians.
The surviving militants were caught or surrendered, and the conflict was declared ended on April 10, 2013.
In a statement, Parti Cinta Sabah president Anifah Aman criticised the leader, describing his remarks as an insult to the security forces who risked their lives to protect the country’s sovereignty.
“Where is the respect of this Warisan leader for our security forces personnel who died protecting Sabah’s sovereignty?” he asked.
Anifah said the leader’s careless remarks were unacceptable and hurtful to the families and loved ones of security forces personnel.
“Warisan should be ashamed of these disgusting remarks. The people should reject Warisan leaders like these,” he said.
