PBDS calls for revival of Sarawak Rangers, local defence force for border security
SIBU (July 10): Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) president Major (R) Moses Ripai has called on both the federal and Sarawak governments to strengthen the state's security infrastructure and formally recognise the historic contributions of the Sarawak Rangers, placing Dayak leadership at the core of future defence strategies.
Drawing from his own decorated military career, Moses asserted that Sarawak must no longer be treated as a passive backline in Malaysia's national security planning.
'With Indonesia's new capital Nusantara rising in Kalimantan and rising tensions in the South China Sea, Sarawak is no longer at the periphery – it is now on the frontline,' he said in a statement.
He warned that border districts such as Bukit Mabong, Belaga, and Lawas remain highly exposed to cross-border threats, smuggling, and exploitation.
Defence responses, he stressed, must be tailored to Sarawak's geography, history, and local expertise.
Moses, who served in the 6th Royal Rangers Regiment and participated in Malaysia's Special Forces mission during United Nations operations in Somalia, underscored the importance of institutionalising the legacy of the Sarawak Rangers – a unit composed primarily of Dayak warriors renowned for their jungle warfare skills and loyalty during key conflicts such as the Malayan Emergency and the Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation.
'Many of these warriors served with honour, but died unsung. Their families were forgotten, their history left to fade,' he said.
He supported a recent call by Works Minister Dato Sri Alexander Nanta Linggi for Sarawak and the Dayak community to be given greater responsibility in the country's defence strategy, describing the minister's remarks as 'bold and timely.'
'It echoes PBDS' longstanding position that Sarawak must be entrusted with the responsibility and the tools, to secure its own future,' said Moses.
He also proposed that Sarawak establish its own Territorial Army Regiment or ranger-based detachment, composed of local personnel particularly Dayak veterans and military-trained youth.
To preserve and honour the past, Moses also proposed the establishment of a Sarawak Rangers Memorial and Research Centre in either Kapit or Sri Aman, aimed at documenting history, training future generations in jungle warfare, and nurturing a sense of military pride in rural communities.
'Security must be homegrown. No one knows this land better than our own people. And no one has earned the right to defend it more than those who already gave their blood for it.'
He further called for greater integration of Dayak veterans into national roles involving border defence, disaster relief, and community safety, especially in areas lacking formal security presence.
Moses also identified Lt Gen (R) Datuk Stephen Mundaw, former Commander of the Eastern Field Command, as the ideal figure to lead any formal revival or institutionalisation of the Sarawak Rangers legacy.
'I served beside Datuk Stephen Mundaw. We shared trenches and walked the same trails. He is not only a respected senior officer, but a grounded and loyal son of Sarawak,' he noted.
Moses concluded by stressing that Sarawak's defence role must evolve from that of a 'forgotten frontier' into a central pillar of Malaysia's overall security framework.
'Peace does not come by accident. It is paid for by men who served quietly and died anonymously.
'Let us not fail their memory. Let us give Sarawak the respect and readiness it deserves.' border security Moses Ripai PBDS Sarawak Rangers
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Free Malaysia Today
a day ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Indonesia brushes off concern on data transfer to the US
Some American companies complained Indonesia's QRIS digital payment system did not benefit their operations. (QRIS Indonesia pic) JAKARTA : Indonesia on Thursday denied warnings that the transfer of personal data agreed in a trade deal with the US this week would put people's rights at risk. After weeks of negotiations, the White House said that it had reached an agreement with Jakarta that lowered tariffs on US-bound goods from the Southeast Asian nation, from 32% to 19%. US President Donald Trump said the reduction was in return for significant purchase commitments from Jakarta, including the purchase of 50 Boeing jets. The White House said Tuesday that Indonesia had also committed to removing barriers that impact digital trade and will provide certainty regarding the transfer of personal data to the US. Jakarta said negotiations on the details continued to be held. But experts warned the personal data transfer to a foreign country would be a further drain on Indonesia's already weak data protection apparatus. 'If there's a leak or improper use of the data, solving the problem would be a lot more complicated if the data is in another country,' Bhima Yudhistira Adhinegara, executive director of the Center of Economic and Law Studies. He said some American companies had been complaining about the Indonesian digital payment system, Quick Response Code Indonesian Standard, or QRIS, which they believed did not benefit their companies. With the tariff deal, the companies can access citizens' data, Bhima said. 'I don't know if the government is aware of how serious this is. We open all access to our data just for a lower tariff.' However, Jakarta reassured that the system was safe. 'The government assures that the data transfer to the US will not be carried out carelessly,' said digital communication minister Meutia Hafidz in a statement Thursday. 'On the contrary, the whole process will be conducted within a secure and reliable data governance framework.' She added that 'the data transfer between countries would still be carried out under the tight supervision of the Indonesian authorities, with high caution, based on the national law.'
Free Malaysia Today
2 days ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Trump sets 19% tariff on Indonesian goods in latest deal, EU readies retaliation
Donald Trump announced that Indonesia agreed to buy US$19.5 billion in US goods and an order for 50 Boeing jets, with no timeline set. (AP pic) WASHINGTON : President Donald Trump on Tuesday said the US would impose a 19% tariff on goods from Indonesia under a new agreement with the Southeast Asian country and more deals were in the works as he continued to press for what he views as better terms with trading partners and ways to shrink a huge US trade deficit. The pact with the relatively minor US trading partner is among the handful struck so far by the Trump administration ahead of an Aug 1 deadline for tariffs on most US imports to rise again. The accord came as the top US trading partner – the European Union – readied retaliatory measures should talks with Washington fail. As that deadline approached, negotiations were under way with other nations eager to avoid more US levies beyond a baseline 10% on most goods that has been in place since April. Trump's roll-out of the policies has often been chaotic. His moves have upended decades of negotiated reductions in global trade barriers and roiled international financial markets and economic activity along the way. Based on Trump tariff announcements through Sunday, Yale Budget Lab estimated the US effective average tariff rates will rise to 20.6% from between 2% and 3% before Trump's return to the White House in January. Consumption shifts would bring the rate down to 19.7%, but it's still the highest since 1933. Trump outlined an Indonesia deal similar to a pact struck recently with Vietnam, with a flat tariff on exports to the US roughly double the current 10% and no levies on US exports going there. It also included a penalty rate for so-called transhipments of goods from China via Indonesia and a commitment to buy some US goods. 'They are going to pay 19% and we are going to pay nothing … we will have full access into Indonesia, and we have a couple of those deals that are going to be announced,' Trump said outside the Oval Office. Trump later announced on his Truth Social platform that Indonesia had agreed to buy US$15 billion of USenergy products, US$4.5 billion of American farm products and 50 Boeing jets, though no time frame was specified. Trump: India talks moving the same way Indonesia's total trade with the US – totalling just under US$40 billion in 2024 – does not rank in the top 15, but it has been growing. US exports to Indonesia rose 3.7% last year, while imports from there were up 4.8%, leaving the US with a goods trade deficit of nearly US$18 billion. The top US import categories from Indonesia, according to US Census Bureau data from the International Trade Centre's TradeMap tool, last year were palm oil, electronics equipment including data routers and switches, footwear, car tires, natural rubber and frozen shrimp. Susiwijono Moegiarso, a senior official with Indonesia's coordinating ministry for economic affairs, told Reuters in a text message: 'We are preparing a joint statement between US and Indonesia that will explain the size of reciprocal tariff for Indonesia including the tariff deal, non-tariff and commercial arrangements. We will inform (the public) soon.' Trump had threatened the country with a 32% tariff rate starting Aug 1 in a letter sent to its president last week. He sent similar letters to about two dozen trading partners this month, including Canada, Japan and Brazil, laying out tariff rates ranging from 20% to 50%, plus a 50% tariff on copper. Speaking in Pittsburgh on Tuesday, Trump said he favoured blanket tariffs over complicated negotiations, but his treasury secretary Scott Bessent and commerce secretary Howard Lutnick were keen to land more trade agreements. Upon his arrival back in Washington, Trump told reporters that letters would be going out soon for many smaller countries, suggesting they would face a tariff of 'a little over 10%.' The Aug 1 deadline gives targeted countries time to negotiate about lower tariff rates. Some economists have also noted Trump's pattern of backing off his tariff threats. Since launching his tariff policy, Trump has clinched only a few deals, falling short of earlier promises to land '90 deals in 90 days.' So far, framework agreements have been reached with the UK and Vietnam, and an interim deal has been struck with China to forestall the steepest of Trump's tariffs while negotiations continue between Washington and Beijing. Trump said talks with India were moving 'along that same line,' adding, 'We're going to have access to India. And you have to understand, we had no access into any of these countries. Our people couldn't go in. And now we're getting access because of what we're doing with the tariffs.' EU readies retaliation The breakthrough with Indonesia came as the European Commission, which oversees trade for the EU, prepared to target €72 billion (US$84.1 billion) worth of US goods – from Boeing aircraft and bourbon whiskey to cars – for possible tariffs if trade talks with Washington fail. Trump is threatening a 30% tariff on imports from the EU from August 1, a level European officials say is unacceptable and would end normal trade between two of the world's largest markets. The list, sent to EU member states and seen by Reuters on Tuesday, pre-dated Trump's move over the weekend to ramp up pressure on the 27-nation bloc and responded instead to US duties on cars and car parts and a 10% baseline tariff. The package also covers chemicals, medical devices, electrical and precision equipment as well as agriculture and food products – a range of fruits and vegetables, along with wine, beer and spirits – valued at €6.35 billion.
Malay Mail
2 days ago
- Malay Mail
Indonesia expands military role into medicine production, sparking authoritarianism fears
JAKARTA, July 24 — Indonesia's military will begin manufacturing medicines for public distribution under a new agreement, officials said yesterday, in the latest expansion of the armed forces' role in civilian affairs since President Prabowo Subianto took office. The president, a former defence minister and special forces commander, has expanded the powerful military's role in civic affairs since taking office last year — including running much of his flagship project to serve free school meals. In March, parliament, dominated by Prabowo's coalition, also passed a revision to military law that allows more civilian posts to be occupied by soldiers, sparking protests by student and activist groups. The moves have dismantled some of the safeguards put in place after authoritarian leader General Suharto was overthrown in 1998 and raised fears of a return to an era when the armed forces were allowed to crush dissent and dominate public life. Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin late yesterday signed an agreement with the food and drug agency for laboratories operated by the army, navy, and air force, which previously supplied medicines for soldiers, to begin manufacturing drugs for public use. 'We are thinking of ways to lower the price even more so we could provide free medicines,' Sjafrie told reporters. Mass production will begin in October and the medicines will be distributed to villages across Indonesia at 50 per cent below the retail price, Sjafrie said. Military involvement is expected to curb the flow of illegal medicines and fight the 'mafia' in the medical industry, said the drug agency's head Taruna Ikrar. But rights groups have said that the agreement was unlawful as it brought serving military officials into civilian business positions — prohibited under military law. 'This is a symptom of how the government has shifted into authoritarianism,' said Usman Hamid from Amnesty International Indonesia. The military and Prabowo's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The medicines will be distributed by 80,000 state-backed cooperatives launched by Prabowo on Monday, Sjafrie said. Prabowo's cooperatives were set up to boost economic activity and cut out middlemen by providing services directly to the general public including giving loans and selling medicines and staple foods. The defence minister has also signed another agreement with the health ministry to build hospitals staffed by military doctors and nurses in conflict areas, including Papua province, where a low-level insurgency has battled for independence for decades. — Reuters
