LETTERS: The government must take seriously the threat of the Sulu Sultaniyah Darul Islam (SSDI), which has been issuing illegal Sulu identity cards to its members in Sabah,
with a self-proclaimed Sulu monarch.
SSDI also seeks to establish an independent state in Sabah and the southern Philippines.
Sabah faces radical movements, including Abu Sayyaf, Jemaah Islamiyah and kidnapping-for-ransom groups.
SSDI does not use paramilitary tactics. However, its members live among locals in Sabah, share similar ethno-language characteristics and even move freely near the
border.
The authorities need to help the local communities, especially the Suluk and Bajau, to be aware of the threat and what they can do to stop it.
They should strive to win the communities' hearts and minds.
DR HAFIZA NUR ADEEN NOR AHMAD
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR WAN SHAWALUDDIN WAN HASSAN
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR DR `RAMLI DOLLAH
Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities,
University Malaysia Sabah
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times