UNDER-FIRE Parti Warisan Sabah leader Mohamaddin Ketapi has apologised for calling the Lahad Datu incursion in 2013 a farce.

The former minister said the remarks were not an insult to the nation’s security forces, but directed at Barisan Nasional.

Mohamaddin said the previous BN government had failed to strengthen the country’s border assets, which then led to the incursion.

“My remarks have been misunderstood. I had never belittled or insulted our nation’s security forces, who have fought hard to defend our sovereignty from invaders,” he said in a statement.

Mohamaddin said the viral video should have been played in its entirety and not merely refer to the incident.

“Nevertheless, I wish to apologise to security personnel if the video hurt their feelings,” he added.

Mohamaddin’s remarks drew criticisms from Perikatan Nasional ministers Ismail Sabri Yaakob and Mohamed Azmin Ali, as well as former foreign minister Anifah Aman, including calls for the former to apologise.

The Lahad Datu incursion saw 235 militants land in Sabah after arriving by boat from Siminul Island in the Philippines. 

By the end of the standoff, around 56 militants were dead, together with six civilians and 10 Malaysian security personnel. The rest of the militants were either captured, or escaped back to the Philippines. – September 21, 2020.