KOTA KINABALU: The Malaysian government should take a firmer stance in urging all parties involved in the Russia-Ukraine conflict to halt aggression and commit to peace negotiations, former foreign minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman said.
He pointed out that it was not enough to just echo the sentiment of other countries as a protracted war would cause grief to parties beyond Ukraine and Russia.
Anifah said for instance, Malaysia had a deep connection to the ongoing escalation in Ukraine after flight Malaysia Airlines MH17 was shot down in the eastern Ukraine airspace and fell on rebel-held territory of Donetsk.
"We have experienced the profound effects of the issue between Russia and Ukraine.
"The MH17 tragedy has caused us great grief and I believe the heightened escalation we are seeing between Russia and Ukraine might only cause more grief to a lot more people," said Anifah who is Parti Cinta Sabah president.
At the same time, given the widespread cyber warfare and misinformation tactics deployed by Russia, he called on all parties involved in the telecommunications and digital systems in Malaysia to enhance the infrastructure security in facing any possible cyber-attacks or misinformation campaigns.
This comes as tensions between Russia and Ukraine continue to escalate, raising fears that this could trigger a wider 'digital war', he stated.
He said for example, the 5G security issue was a cause for concern as some providers were allegedly linked to a superpower country which constantly encroached on Malaysian waters.
Anifah reminded the government that the telecommunications industry has evolved rapidly in recent years, becoming increasingly sophisticated and interconnected with other sectors including finance, transportation, military, and other critical infrastructure.
With the increased presence of terrorism and cyber warfare, he said it was critical for Malaysia to have a strong and secure digital infrastructure.
"The government must not allow the greed of some quarters to put our digital security at grave risk," he urged.
On the issue of 'physical' territory, he said the country's top security priority should be on protecting Sabah's water territory from foreign aggressors.
"The Malaysian government should not tolerate threats to the nation's sovereignty and should take all necessary measures to safeguard our borders.
"I urge all parties to be vigilant and take extra measures to keep our territorial integrity intact."