Bolster unity and security measures
THE recent operations undertaken by the police to curb terror threats in the city centre in conjunction with the 2017 SEA Games was commendable and well received by the general public ( The Star, Aug 8 – Foreigners rounded up in police raid cleared of terror ties). Kudos to the Bukit Aman Special Branch Counter Terrorism Division for their finely strategised effort in not only sensing and identifying the movements of underworld threats but also stifling them from permeating further into our society.
The massive number of foreigners arrested, especially those syndicates involved in the forgery of international passports, identification cards and border passes, as well as the spread of negative views implying that our security system has many loopholes and can be manipulated by criminal minds for advancing their heinous activities, is frightening.
As the arrest of illegal immigrants keeps increasing wherever the authorities conduct their surprise operations, notwithstanding our tighter border control, one wonders how these illegals still enter so easily? We need a holistic approach from interrelated agencies to analyse where and what went wrong.
While heavy focus is given to scrutinising foreigners, particularly those nationalities from numerous Third World countries, equal focus should also be directed towards locals especially those groups that have links to transnational organised crimes and collude with international extremist groups.
In this connection, the noble effort undertaken by the police should be not reduced or halted once the SEA Games is over, but should be a continuous measure in controlling and monitoring all kinds of terror threats in the coun try. Apart from the police, other relevant enforcement authorities should make their presence visible always.
However, while the authorities’ presence may intimidate illegal immigrants and other criminals in city centres, they should never overlook having a close eye at other key strategic areas like airports, ports, rail/bus terminals and gathering places of religious congregations.
As the country is gearing towards achieving a developed nation status by 2020, it is timely that all our enforcement authorities demonstrate highly skilled and reliable security measures at all levels in strengthening national security on par with other developed nations. That year will also be a significant year for Malaysia as we will be hosting the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, AsiaPacific Economic Cooperation Meeting and many other international events. Therefore, the country as a whole needs to fortify its security measures so that no amount of foreign elements can jeopardise our socioeconomic and sociopolitical wellbeing.