KENINGAU: The Federal Government should take stern action in defending Sabah region’s maritime sovereignty, said Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan.
“Sabah is directly exposed to the ongoing conflict arising from the numerous overlapping sovereign claims to islands, reefs and rocks in the South China Sea.
“The Federal Government has to take a sterner action against any external threat to ensure that the maritime sovereignty of the nation, particularly Sabah’s, is defended,” he said in a statement.
Jeffrey, who is also Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (Star) President, added that Putrajaya should have done that to demonstrate that it respects Sabah as a partner in the formation of Malaysia.
He also said he has been closely following the development on the conflicting claims in the South China Sea from time to time.
“I found that the threat to Sabah’s maritime sovereignty has been worrying of late in view of it being in the frontline of the overlapping claims issue.
“This calls for a more serious intervention from the Federal Government through the Defence Ministry and the relevant agencies,” he said.
Throughout 2021, the Royal Malaysian Navy had reported 23 cases in the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EZZ). These incidents apparently started in 2013.
Jeffrey also highlighted that the threat to the country’s maritime sovereignty has affected the economy.
Since last year, China’s Maritime Enforcement Agency has been reported to have encroached Kawasari, a gas field off the coast of Sarawak, and affected works involving the development of the country’s new oil and gas operations by Petronas.
The continuous intimidation by 300 China’s maritime vessels patrolling in the South China Sea has also affected fishing activities of small fishermen in Sabah.
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