US Ambassador Bids Emotional Farewell To Sabah, Vows Return To "Conquer" Mt Kinabalu

KOTA KINABALU, Jan 22 (Bernama) -- Outgoing United States Ambassador to Malaysia Edgard D. Kagan, who is set to end his tour of duty on Feb 16, bade an emotional farewell to Sabah, describing the state as a place that holds a special spot in his heart after years of service in the country.

Kagan, who began serving as ambassador since December 2023 and previously as deputy chief of mission, said his family had accumulated incredible memories of their time here, from the wildlife of Sandakan to the coasts of Semporna.

"My family and I have spent over five years in Malaysia...which is actually longer than we've spent in any one other place since then. It is very moving for us to be getting ready to go.

"We've loved our time in Malaysia. And one of the things that we've loved about Malaysia is Sabah... for me, professionally, working to strengthen US engagement with Sabah has been something that I'm very proud of," he said during a meet and greet session with local media here today.

However, despite his extensive travels, Kagan admitted to one significant regret during his tenure -missing the chance to scale Malaysia's highest peak, Mount Kinabalu.

"Unfortunately, one of the things I regret is I'm leaving without having climbed Mount Kinabalu. I wasn't organised enough to do it as ambassador," he said in jest.

He quickly added that this "failure" has given him a concrete reason to return to the Land Below the Wind.

"I plan on coming back as a private citizen, as a tourist, and doing that," he said, emphasising his desire to experience the climb he missed while in office.

On the security front, Kagan acknowledged the tremendous progress made in Eastern Sabah since the Lahad Datu intrusion in 2013, describing the Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCOM) as a true success story.

He said the integration of various security and government tools in the zone has made a tangible difference, noting that the security situation has objectively improved.

"I’ve seen firsthand, my colleagues at the embassy have also seen the tremendous progress that's been made... I believe that the security situation has improved. And I think that we will be moving in the direction of telling that to the American public," he said.

Kagan expressed confidence that the commitment shown by the Malaysian and Sabah governments to address security concerns is paving the way for a positive outcome.

-- BERNAMA