Shafie apologises for under-fire Mohamaddin

(FMT) – Warisan president Shafie Apdal has apologised for the remarks made by the party’s Segama candidate, Mohamaddin Ketapi, on the 2013 Lahad Datu intrusion.

In a statement, Shafie, who did not name Mohamaddin, said the remarks were “spontaneous and misunderstood”.

“(He) had no intention to mock our soldiers and security personnel who sacrificed their lives for the country and its people,” he said.

Mohamaddin, a former federal minister, has come under attack for his remarks, in which he described the Lahad Datu intrusion as a “sandiwara” (farce).

He has denied belittling the security forces involved in defending the country against the 200 Sulu militants in the intrusion and said his remarks, made in a video clip, had been misconstrued and taken out of context.

Shafie said as a former deputy defence minister, he understood the struggles faced by the security forces in securing the country’s borders.

“Each personnel on the ground is not just ready to sacrifice their lives for the security of the people but also has to be apart from their loved ones when they are on duty,” he said.

He said the state appreciated their sacrifices and this was why the Sabah government had allocated RM10 million to frontliners, including RM1 million each to the police force and the army, which no other state had done.

“Though this amount is not much compared to the risks and sacrifices these heroes make, it proves the Sabah government’s commitment, even though security agencies come under the federal government’s purview,” he said.