“
By Daniel John Jambun Borneo’s Plight in Malaysia Foundation (BoPiMaFo)
KOTA KINABALU: Borneo’s Plight in Malaysia Foundation (BoPiMaFo) takes serious note of the statement by Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail on the expansion of the Malaysian Border Guard.
We state clearly:
Security cannot be selective. Sovereignty cannot be regional.
1. SABAH IS MALAYSIA’S FRONTLINE — NOT ITS AFTERTHOUGHT
While enforcement visibility increases in West Malaysia following the Minister’s announcement, Sabah continues to face:
persistent illegal maritime entry
entrenched cross-border routes
longstanding undocumented population concerns
This is not a new issue.
This is a known, documented, and unresolved national problem.
2. STRUCTURES EXIST — BUT RESULTS DO NOT MATCH
We recognise the role of Eastern Sabah Security Command and the Eastern Sabah Security Zone.
But recognition is not performance.
More than a decade after the 2013 Lahad Datu intrusion:
illegal entry concerns persist
enforcement gaps remain
public confidence is still fragile
If the system were sufficient, the problem would not still define Sabah today.
3. THIS IS NOT JUST BORDER CONTROL — THIS IS SYSTEM FAILURE
Sabah’s border vulnerabilities cannot be separated from:
weaknesses in identity management
lack of enforcement continuity
failure to fully implement the findings of the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on Illegal Immigrants in Sabah
Let us be clear:
Border control without institutional accountability is ineffective.
4. ONE COUNTRY MUST NOT HAVE TWO LEVELS OF SECURITY
Following the Minister’s statement, Sabahans are entitled to ask:
Why does the region facing the greatest border pressure continue to receive less visible urgency?
This is not about comparison.
This is about equal protection under one nation.
5. BOPIMAFO’S DEMAND FOR IMMEDIATE ACTION
We call on the Federal Government, and specifically the Home Ministry under Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, to:
Disclose Sabah’s real operational border capacity — personnel, assets, and coverage
Accelerate full maritime surveillance systems, including radar and coastal monitoring
Ensure unified command and coordination across all enforcement agencies
Provide a clear implementation timeline for RCI recommendations linked to border control
FINAL WORD
Sabah is not Malaysia’s backdoor.
Sabah is Malaysia’s frontline.
If the frontline remains exposed, the consequence is not regional.
It is national.
And continued inaction is no longer a delay.
It is a decision.
