Sabah needs RMAF base more
Published on: Friday, November 07, 2014
Ibrahim
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Tabir and Sohan DasKUNAK: Sabah needs the planned relocation of the Butterworth RMAF base more than Labuan which is well protected from any potential attack and far from the east coast waters where the real security threat lies.This makes Tawau the ideal choice as suggested by former Chief Minister Tan Sri Harris Salleh, according to a former defence personnel and a Labuan trade Chamber official. Former Lahad Datu Police Chief, Supt Abd Mali Abbas, who previously served as Commanding Officer of the Sandakan General Operations Force battalion opined that Tawau is the best location for an air base. For one, Tawau is located within the Eastern Sabah Security Zone (Esszone) and serves as the best observation point in terms of security of the country's airspace as it is located at the eastern most part of the nation. He said nobody can deny the heightened Royal Sulu Army activities in Sabah lately and their links to the East Coast kidnap-for-ransom gangs, notwithstanding the State Police Commissioner's admission that these bandits are now out to create havoc in order to finance their activities in the State.
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Another point, he said, was the rapid agricultural development like oil palm cultivation, Sabah being the home of the Palm Oil Industrial Cluster and the number of refineries are located in the East Coast, all of which could do with improved security following the Tanduo Sulu Army intrusion recently.Thirdly, there are many thriving tourism destinations along the east coast which need immediate air support in the event of an emergency. Many of these have been subjected to security threats from southern Filipino militants linked to the notorious Abu Sayyaf since the Sipadan kidnapping in 2000.
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"The Federal Government should weigh Harris' suggestions as it is indeed relevant. It is a good proposal from the former state leader," he said. Harris also urged the people in Labuan to appeal to Putrajaya that Labuan is better off as the regional oil and gas hub apart from a tourism spot. Meanwhile, Labuan Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LICCI) Chairman, Dahlif Singh said Tawau being on the border frontline was more suited for a larger air base."The government should, instead, focus on making Labuan a major transit point for air travellers especially from China since Chinese tourists are now looking for an attractive destination due to security incidents in Sabah. There are signs that these tourists are getting interested in Labuan," he said.Dahlif added that Labuan has some "strong charms" such as its duty-free status, stress-free city-life and the island already had a RM500 million International Airport which was under-utilised. He said the government should capitalise on these strengths to lure more China and other tourists to Labuan.He said recently 30 tour operators from China were here to familiarise with the island and were satisfied with what they found in Labuan."We are told that the first batch of 70 China tourists would be arriving soon and they may also make a side trip to the West Coast. These tourists on returning home, provided we gave a good impression, will likely pass the word around with more to come," said Dahlif.He said China saw good potential in Labuan. It was reported that a Chinese company was even interested in partnering a local company to take over the management of Labuan airport and this would include extending the runway by another 1000 metres to accommodate the landing of A380 aircraft.Dahlif said through the airport tourism could become an important pillar of the local economy but good planning and bold decisions were required. Under the circumstances, Labuan airport should remain largely a civilian airport with minimum use by military fights.He said recently the Transport Ministry announced plans to give incentives to bring international tourists to Langkawi. Dahlif said similar incentives should also be rolled-out for Labuan since like Langkawi, Labuan is also a duty-free island and development of the tourism industry was important for the future of the island.Dahlif emphasised that tourism was important to the island because the lucrative barter trade business with Southern Philippines was already "dead" the island needed another "golden goose" as replacement.He noted that Labuan's economy was currently robust largely due to activities in the oil and gas sector. The reality was the life span of oil and gas fields was limited, some were already depleted but revived through new technology."One day, the bubble is bound to burst and when this happens it would not be so painful to Labuan if it had an alternative source such as booming tourists industry.He said even presently there were some weak signs that Labuan was being gradually sidelined in the oil and gas sector. He said Petronas was pumping RM45 billion into Sabah for various projects and nothing was considered for Labuan.Labuan is being gradually overshadowed in the sector by developments in Sabah and Sarawak and there is also a new USD billion base coming up in Brunei backed by Chinese ancestors," he said.He said all these were happening in the midst of Labuan becoming the national oil and gas hub after Telok Rumania and Pengarang in Johore. Dahlif said the government nor Petronas seem wanting to invested on any new oil-related projects in Labuan but said that such projects should be under private initiatives.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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