Home Ministry to study role of ESScom in Sabah

LAHAD DATU: The Home Ministry is conducting a study on the effectiveness of the Eastern Sabah Security Command ( ESSCom)’s role, including the restricted chain of command in the security organisation.

Its deputy minister Datuk Mohd Azis Jamman said ESSCom’s role needed to be looked at in detail and refined to make its operations more effective.

ESSCom, comprising the Army, Royal Malaysia Police ( PDRM) and the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency ( MMEA), was formed under the National Blue Ocean Strategy, aimed at protecting the safety of the waters in the Eastern Sabah Security Zone ( ESSZone).

“The problem, including the chain of command, must be made very clear as to what the ESSCom commander can do since the Army has (orders) from its general, the police have the Inspector- General of Police and MMEA has its higher-ups.

“The matter will be discussed at the ministerial level and discussed with the ( Home) Minister ( Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin) as the Sabah Chief Minister ( Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal) knows about it,” he told reporters after witnessing the submission of registration forms by 15,000 Barisan Nasional members from the Silam Division to Parti Warisan Sabah secretary general Loretto S Padua Jr here yesterday.

Mohd Azis said the indepth study needed to look at whether there was a need for the other enforcement roles, especially that of the marine police and MMEA, to be reinforced or modified.