Wednesday, 06 March 2013 12:54
Anwar
assures M'sians of Sulu descent: Not a war agst Sulus but a fight agst
militants
Written by Wong Choon Mei, Alaa
Soleiman, Malaysia Chronicle
Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim reassured Malaysians of Sulu descent
that his Pakatan Rakyat coalition would defend their rights and not allow them
to be marginalized as a result of the recent intrusion by an armed group
claiming to be members of the Royal Army of Sulu."This is not a war against the Sulus but a tough and hard battle against armed militants who came to our land. When we (the PR) becomes the government, we will not tolerate any armed presence in our country," Anwar told a press conference on Wednesday.
"To us, the Sulus who are Malaysians, they are our citizens. To the Sulus who are in the Philippines, they are our colleagues and friends. But no country can tolerate the presence of militants with arms. No country should tolerate the presence of armed militants."
Why so little information: Roundtable can be closed-door
He also slammed Prime Minister Najib Razak's government for the lack information over the Lahad Datu intrusion, warning that it would lead to unhealthy confusion and ill-feeling amongst the people especially those residing in East Malaysian state of Sabah.
Anwar, widely touted to become the country's next prime minister, reiterated his call to Najib to convene a special Parliamentary roundtable to discuss and brainstorm what had happened and to seek the best ways to prevent a recurrence.
"The sitting should galvanize all Malaysians regardless of political affiliations. There is a clear lack of information. If you notice, there is more information coming out out of Manila rather than from Malaysia on the Lahad Datu (intrusion)," said Anwar.
"It has caused a lot of anxiety and anguish. It is the duty of any government to defend the sovereignty of the nation and its borders. As such there is a need to have this engagement (the Parliamentary session). We would also invite the Home Minister, the Defense Minister to the roundtable. It can even be closed door if some of the information is confidential."
