FOLLOWING revelation that the Government had bungled in evacuating citizens from Ukraine, a PKR leader urged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah and Foreign Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah to come clean on the matter.
“The article, besides describing harrowing shortcomings in the evacuation of our people, alleges that the duo had allegedly adopted a ‘dismissive stance’ on intelligence that Ukraine was in danger of an imminent Russian invasion as a ‘Western narrative’”.
“How is it that Malaysia apparently failed to read the warning signs? Even the Russians reportedly evacuated their embassy staff from Kyiv before their incursion,” said Setiawangsa MP Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad.
Yesterday, South China Morning Post (SCMP) alleged Ismail Sabri and Saifuddin blundered in their response to the Russian attacks on Ukraine.
The report added that due to issues from Putrajaya, Malaysian envoy to the Ukraine had to rise to the occasion and proceeded with the evacuation plan of Malaysians stuck in the country.
Citing various Government sources, it was said that the problem was caused by Ismail Sabri and Saifuddin’s dismissive attitude towards Western intelligence in January on the imminent Russian invasion.
“These officials had described the intelligence as a ‘Western narrative’, leading the evacuation mission to become a “cluster f**k”, one source mention.
“The situation is partly the consequence of having a minister who is so desperate to not fall for Western narrative, he starts believing the nonsense peddled by the other side,” another source added.
What about hardware supply from Russia?
On that note, Nik Nazmi urged the Government to take a stronger stand against Russia’s aggression against its neighbour by condemning it and call for Ukraine’s sovereignty to be respected.
Nik Nazmi, a former chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Defence and Domestic Affairs, also stated that the war may impact Malaysia’s own defence capabilities given the fact that the Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM) use Russian hardware in much of its system.
“Sanctions against Russia will likely grow, including its removal from The Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) and a new round of restrictions against sales of its arms through the US’ Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act.
“Hence, we may come to a situation where our armed forces will have difficulties to acquiring certain hardware. If so, how shall we make up for the shortfall in our capacity?
“These are urgent questions that need urgent answers,” he remarked.
SWIFT is a secure messaging network which facilitates rapid cross-border payments, making it a crucial mechanism for international trade.– Feb 27, 2022.
