KUCHING: Security at Sarawak’s vital infrastructures and strategic assets, including hydroelectric (HEP) dams, utilities, and telecommunications towers must be enhanced, said Datuk Liwan Lagang.
The Deputy Minister of Utilities and Telecommunication said it’s about time the government prioritised security by establishing more Territorial Army (TA) units in these facilities.
Liwan said the issue was highlighted many times but was not taken seriously.
“I have highlighted the security issue at our strategic assets such as the Bakun HEP, Murum HEP, Batang Ai HEP and Bengoh Reservoir Dam on numerous occasions. But somehow it has not caught the attention of the relevant authorities yet.
“So, I would like to reiterate once again that there is an urgent need to provide security at our strategic assets as we are facing geopolitical uncertainty due to global issues such as the Ukraine conflict, overlapping claims of the South China Sea and the relocation of Indonesia’s capital to Nusantra in East Kalimantan,” He added.
Liwan, who is the Belaga assemblyman, said Bakun and Murum HEP dams have been left with very minimum security and he feared that security in these facilities could be easily breached with very minimal force.
He agreed with Sarawak Multimedia Authority (SMA) general manager Dr Zaidi Razak’s suggestion that the government set up more Territorial Army (TA) units to look after the state’s strategic assets.
Zaidi has urged the government to establish additional TA units to enhance security at utility facilities as they are vulnerable to vandalism.
He made the remarks on Tuesday (Aug 23) in response to the government’s lack of TA units.
Zaidi’s call was also supported by TA 511 commanding officer Brigadier General Abang Mohamad Abang Marzuki, who urged the government to improve security at its key assets, including ports.
