“THE WISH OF PEOPLE IS ONLY TO SEE THE PROBLEM (ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS) RESOLVED. PERIOD!,” - TANGAU

Sabah under fire for pussyfooting around immigrant problem

PENAMPANG: The United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko), a  Barisan Nasional coalition partner, has criticised the government for pussyfooting around the immigrant problem in Sabah.

Upko secretary-general Wilfred Madius Tangau said that Sabah has certain powers on matters pertaining to immigration and citizenship and should use them to deal with the problem.

He said that the state's powers are clearly demonstrated by the fact that Peninsular Malaysians and Sarawakians are required to apply for Permanent Residence (PR) in Sabah.

The state also requires all non-Sabahan Malaysians to apply for work permits to be legally employed in the state.

Malaysians entering the state are also given permit to stay in the state for a limited time. The same rules apply in Sarawak and are strictly enforced in the neighbouring state.

Tangau, the former MP for Tuaran who is closely aligned with party chief and Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Bernard Dompok, applauded Silam BN secretary Kassim Sulaiman for highlighting the problem posed by a large number of illegal immigrants in Sabah recently.

He said Kassim's statement over the weekend revealed that illegal immigrants is one issue that Malaysians in Sabah irrespective of their political inclinations would like resolved.

While acknowledging that immigration is a national matter in the same way that the Philippines claim over Sabah has to be dealt with by the federal government, he stressed that the state government must be firm in resolving the immigrants issue in Sabah.

“Surely the Sabah State Security Council is on top of the future IMM13 document holders. Does the Sabah State Security Council wish to renew the IMM13 documents of the 57,000 or 84,000 holders every year?

(IMM13 documents were given to Filipino refugees fleeing the troubles in the southern Philippines in the 1970s and 80s).

He added that it was time to fix the problem.

“Finger pointing is over... no one should politicise nor try to gain political mileage over the problem.

“The wish of people is only to see the problem resolved. Period!,” he said.

Tangau noted that Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Idris Jala had informed Upko leaders during his Government Transformation Programme briefing here that there are 22 action plans as recommended by the special laboratory on illegal immigrant.

Jala had said the action plans were aimed at resolving the presence of illegal immigrant in Sabah but would only brief Upko leaders on the matter at a later date.

“Upko will definitely accept the offer by  Idris Jala to brief us on the above mentioned line of action and by that time Upko wants to hear results,” he said.

“Just like the government’s aggressive action on the six NKRA (national key result areas), Upko would like to see the Federal and State government get cracking and implement the so-called 22 Plans of Action," he said.

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