Homeland Security

Last weekend, my family and I wanted to visit my grandparents at Johor. However, upon reaching the highly-congested causeway, we decided to detour back home. We were cursing and swearing all the way home. At that time, I did not know why the congestion was the worse I seen. Of course, this was until I realised the breaking news a few days ago. I recalled the epic news of the escape of the fugitive, Mas Selamat Kastari. He was the leader of the JI in Singapore, and obviously one of the most wanted man alive right now. Then, I also realised the fact that the lorry drivers were suffering from even severe congestion. Even more, they did not have the luxury of detouring since it is their job.

Here I am, complaining that the escape of Mas Selamat was overly reacted. However, it was then that I realised the importance of homeland security to this tiny island. Mas Selamat is a treat to the country as he can mastermind several terrorist attacks, being the fact that he was behind the plot of hijacking a plane. That shows how merciless this man is. He poses a huge treat to the society and hence, the authorities have to put up lots of measures to ensure the safety of our nation. That was when I felt that the reaction to the escapade was not overreacted but it was a safety precaution to the people of the nation, like me. I also reflected on the thousands of ‘wanted’ fliers depicting the face of Mas Selamat distributed throughout the whole nation. It shows how the people themselves are of great need to the authorities.

In national security, everyone played an important role. From the authorities to ordinary people like ourselves, we can play our part in staying vigilant and reacting well to such cases. The case of Mas Selamat can be looked at as a training or opportunity to practise out homeland security. This would ensure that anything that happens in the future can be dealt with efficiently.