Strong reminder to stay vigilant
THE assassination of Palestinian lecturer Dr Fadi al-Batsh is a reminder of the need to be always vigilant against attacks by unknown assassins. The killing of Kim Jong-nam at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in 2017 comes to mind in such instances.
Malaysia has had a successful record in dealing with terrorism principally due to its vast experience during the Emergency period from 1948 to 1960.
Over the years, the authorities have improved, modified and developed new approaches to deal with the threat of terrorism. To date, according to Professor Rohan Gunaratna of the Department of Strategic Studies, Nanyang University of Singapore, Malaysia’s “smart policy” in dealing with terrorism has been greatly successful in preventing such attacks.
The present inspector-general of Police, who was previously head of the counter-terrorism division, has stated on numerous occasions that the pre-emptive approach has led to the success of the security forces in tackling this global phenomenon.
Surveillance and gathering intelligence play vital roles in this approach. The Royal Malaysia Police has a networking and logistical approach, including cooperation with other countries and international agencies such as Interpol. Information is shared regularly as far as terrorism is concerned.
The Asean Secretariat has also given due importance to sharing of information on the activities of terrorist suspects.
According to Professor Andrew Tan of the University of New South Wales Australia, it is the kinetic and comprehensive approach undertaken by Malaysia that has yielded success in its efforts to deal with terrorism.
However, the assassination of this Palestinian lecturer shows that our intelligence and surveillance is being challenged. Have the perpe- trators of violence and crime discovered a weak spot or loophole that could be used to their advantage?
Malaysia’s National Security Blueprint gives top priority to the security of the nation and the wellbeing of its citizens. This security has been breached and there is an urgent need to tighten it further.
According to P. Sundramoorthy from Universiti Sains Malaysia’s Research Team on Crime and Policing, “Engagement between the police and public must be proactive. A reactive style of engagement only creates negative barriers and perception”, “Policing with the people” ( The Star, April 20).
As such, there is a need for the public and security personnel to forge better relationships in order to prevent such deplorable acts that tarnish the image of our peaceful Malaysia.