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The 14th General Election and Terrorism

In less than nine days, Malaysia is going to have the titan of all elections. The nomination day was concluded last Saturday. As usual, there are some candidates who are not satisfied with process. The possible solution for them by taking the said matters to the courts in Malaysia.
Last Thursday, the body of Palestinian lecturer, Fadi al-Batsh was buried in Gaza. He was brutally killed in Kuala Lumpur by two foreign assassins. According to the Home Minister, the killers representing or attached with the foreign intelligence agency. On the other hand, two women from Vietnam and Indonesia had been used by the North Korean agents to kill Kim Jong-Nam in Kuala Lumpur airport last year. These women used the highly toxic VX nerve agent to execute the murder.
In 2016, the Movida Bar in Puchong was attacked by ISIS terrorists where eight people were injured. That’s was the first attack launched by the ISIS/ISIL/IS in Malaysia. Even though, PDRM has successfully detained and prosecuted these terrorists but recently, the influx of Foreign Terrorist Fighters (FTFs) is increased.
For instance, last October, 45 FTFs were detained by PDRM and 12 of them were deported back to their own countries. Meantime, last January, Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Mohamad Fuzi Harun has warned the public about the video which was broadcasted by the Malaysian ISIS terrorist.  They urged their followers to launch terrorist attacks in their own countries.
Yesterday, more than 25 people were killed and at least 45 people were injured in Kabul, Afghanistan. It’s a well-coordinated double suicide bombing by ISIS which a day earlier in Jalalabad near to a voter registration center a bomb detonated caused injury to more than 7 people including children and police personnel.
In December 2007, Benazair Bhutto was killed by a young suicide bomber at an election rally in Rawalpindi. The suicide bomber shot at her and then blew himself up. According to the Pakistan government at the time, this assassination was ordered by Pakistani Taliban and Al-Qaeda. In 1991, the former Indian Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi was killed by a woman suicide bomber as he walked toward an election rally platform in South India.
In United States of America, Theodore Roosevelt, the former President was shot and injured by an immigrant from Germany, John Schrank. This incident happened during an election campaign in Milwaukee on October 14, 1912. Further, Robert "Bobby" Kennedy was shot and assassinated by an immigrant from middle east in June 1968 after he gave speech at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. He is the brother of exterminated President John F. Kennedy. In addition, George C. Wallace, the Governor of Alabama was shot and seriously injured by Arthur Bremer while campaigning in Maryland on May 15, 1972.
For the intelligence and security agencies the election period always gives an additional responsibility not only to safeguard the candidates but also maintain the peace and security of this nation. The increase activities of FTFs who collaborated with local terrorists can pose a serious threat to undermine the election process in Malaysia especially the 14th General election. These terrorists can be influenced in religious ideologies or social and political ideologies to launch any possible in this soil.
The responsibility of the intelligence and security agencies not only by protecting the candidates from the ruling party but also must be extended to the other parties’ candidates who can be targeted easily because of lax security.
This is not a political issue. But, this is a national security issue. It is a duty of these agencies to protect all candidates regardless of the candidates’ inclinations. The role played by the PDRM to undermine and subdue the terrorist activities in Malaysia is undisputed.  
But, the biggest impediment will be to identify and dismantled the sleeper cells. These sleeper cells are unknown and undetectable. They are within the society and even their family members are unaware of their activities. The prospect of these sleeper cells to be activated by the terrorists group within and outside Malaysia during this election period is highly conceivable.
Therefore, it is a responsibility of intelligence and security agencies to protect all the candidates at all cost. We, as Malaysians also must play our part to make sure this election to be conducted without any untoward incidents and take all the necessary steps by working closely with these agencies to protect this beloved nation.

Kuala Lumpur.

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