Securing border security in Sabah : a case study of Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency Sabah and Labuan / Mohd Azri Jaini Jeffery and Mohd Isam Jukli

On 16 September 1963, the idea of a unified country became a reality with the birth of nation called Malaysia. Malaysia is a federation of 13 states that are Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Malacca, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Penang, Perak, Perlis, Sabah, Sarawak, Selangor, and Terengganu, plus the capital city, Kuala Lumpur, and the island of Labuan, which are separate federal territories. Each state has its own constitution, head of state, and elected assembly, led by a chief minister and cabinet, and legislates on matters outside the federal parliament's sphere. Malaysia has a total landmass of 329,847 square kilometres (127,350 sq mi) separated by the South China Sea into two similarly sized regions, Peninsular Malaysia and Malaysian Borneo. It also has a coastline of some 4675 kilometres (the World Fact book, 2004) with rich marine resources spread from Malacca Straits in the west, to South China Sea in the centre ocean of Malaysia Water and Sulu Sea in the east. Malaysia's land borders are shared with Thailand, Indonesia, and Brunei, and maritime borders exist with Singapore, Vietnam, and the Philippines. The Malaysia's Ministry of Defense was recognized and established after our country got independence on 31 August 1957. This ministry has been established due to the level of awareness on our national security. Our leaders were growing concerned about the security on safeguarding our country from being harmed by others. Through this ministry, the armed force and national defense systems such as air forces and submarines are all under it. After the British troop's retreats from Malaysia, our government decided to improve our security from any threat. But, due to the lack of resources to build strong defense units, a lot of confrontations and incidents that threaten our national security occur since our country was formed.