What happened in Ipoh on Sunday, when a woman approached the Sultan of Perak, Nazrin Shah, during the state-level National Day celebrations and then proceeded to hug him, was a scandal.

Will heads roll over this shocking incident? Or will it be business as usual?

Malaysia has had its fair share of serious accidents (tourist coach crashes), major corruption cases (like in Felda), illegal deaths (like deaths in custody), and security failures (like MH370); but despite the seriousness of the situation and the tragedy of the incidents, we will find that no person of authority resigned or was sacked, after the investigation.

Why are we so tolerant towards the lack of accountability in those who hold positions of responsibility?

This lack of accountability and transparency, including the failure to punish those at fault, presents a new set of problems.

Without a deterrent, these failures have a habit of repeating themselves in the future.

The Sultan, together with the security forces, and the nation, were lucky. The woman merely hugged the royal; but what if she had brandished a knife, with the intention of stabbing the Sultan?

What if she was a suicide bomber, like the young woman who detonated her suicide belt and killed Rajiv Gandhi and 14 others in 1991?

Will the security forces do a full background check on the woman and not just ‘accept’ easily available answers like she is a repeat drug user with psychiatric problems?

What if the woman was merely a decoy and was not acting alone but was working in league with others who remain anonymous and who operate behind the scenes?

Perhaps she was performing a dummy run to test the efficacy of the security forces to see how fast they would respond to a threat on the Sultan.

She could have been trying to gauge the weak points in the security perimeter. It is possible she was trying to ascertain whether the communication channels between the royal security personnel and the police were swift, or did they take time to respond?

Sunday’s shocking incident was a security breach—the successful unauthorized access to the Sultan. This breach occurred because of a security failure.

Two days after the incident, the IGP said that officers who guard royals and the nation’s top leaders would undergo commando-style training to strengthen their ‘preparedness while on duty.’

Isn’t the IGP jumping the gun and getting ahead of himself without first considering the essential details of what actually transpired on Sunday?

Commando training prepares the soldier to execute surprise raids and high-risk military strikes at a moment’s readiness. 

The woman who penetrated the security perimeter surprised everyone with her brazen act; but of what use is special commando training if the officers providing security cover, neglect to implement the most basic need of the protective policies, plans, and procedures designed to keep a high-profile person safe?

In other words, they simply lack awareness and diligence.

There is no point being a commando especially if he lacks observation skills, lacks awareness and fails to judge a situation or be able to see potential loop holes in the security perimeter.

Sunday’s shocking incident was a security breach—the successful unauthorized access to the Sultan. This breach occurred because of a security failure.

The fact that the woman was able to slip past the security personnel and the police officers guarding the Sultan suggests first and foremost a failure in the security of the perimeter.

This begs the question, was there inadequate layers of barriers preventing access to the Sultan? Were there insufficient personnel to guard the royal? How good was the surveillance for the whole operation?

Moreover, the police should be able to question and come down hard on those who will exploit the situation.

The ease with which the woman took to the stage and calmly walked towards the sultan looks as if the security detail team, had not gone through the venue and checked for possible blind spots where mischief makers could gain access to the Sultan.

Had the woman impersonated a staff member or used false credentials?

The security team failed because the woman had exploited weaknesses in vetting procedures.

The security team failed to protect the Sultan and all of the officers should be suspended and disciplined. However, the man in charge of security should be made accountable for his actions and be sacked.

He is lucky the Sultan was unharmed on this occasion.

However, there is a need for change in the unit that provides security to the royals and top leaders.

At the same time, PDRM needs to reform and this should start with its top leadership. 

(Mariam Mokhtar is a Freelance Writer.)