Special ID plan draws flak

KOTA KINABALU: The government’s announcement on giving a special card to undocumented foreigners who have long lived in Sabah has triggered strong reactions in the state, including from leaders of the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah state government.

Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, however, has called on everyone not to jump the gun, saying that the Kad Warga Asing (Foreigner Card) in question is merely a proposal.

In a statement yesterday, the Chief Minister explained that the proposed special documentation for undocumented people in Sabah was only a recommendation by the technical committee that would be further deliberated by the state government before a final decision is made.

“The State Management Committee on Foreign Nationals (JKPWAS-Induk) was established following the RCI recommendation for a joint platform between the state and federal governments to manage the issue,” he said.

Hajiji gave an assurance that the proposal did not involve granting foreigners identification cards or citizenship and that fine-tuning would be done after taking into account views and inputs from political parties, activists and the people.

“It is better for all not to jump the gun,” he said, stressing that all illegal immigrants would be deported and only those who are working legally in Sabah would be issued with these documents.

On Thursday, Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin announced that a special card would be issued within three months to undocumented foreigners who have long lived in Sabah but stressed that the card is not a conferment of Malaysian citizenship or permanent residency.

He said card holders could then be employed and given work permits to ease labour shortages.

In his statement, Hajiji also explained that Kad Warga Asing and Kad Pekerja Warga Asing (Foreign Worker Card) had been proposed to be a standard document for all IMM13, Sijil Banci (Census Certificate) and Kad Burung-Burung holders previously issued to Filipino immigrants and legal foreign workers.

(The IMM13 was issued to Filipino refugees who fled to Sabah in the 1970s, Kad Burung-Burung was issued by the state in the 1980s and Sijil Banci was given under a federal special task force in the 1990s.)

According to previous reports, there are about 130,000 foreigners in Sabah holding Kad Burung-Burung, Sijil Banci and IMM13.

“The proposed Foreign Worker Card will be issued to those in the plantation, agriculture and fisheries, manufacturing, construction and domestic helpers sectors, among others,” said Hajiji.

He added that a proper database of foreign workers needs to be established to record their presence in the state.

He welcomed the Federal Government’s effort to jointly solve the issue, in line with the state’s goals of attracting more investments to Sabah.

Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan, however, said the Federal Government’s plan would only worsen the issue of illegal immigrants in the state.

“These illegals should be treated according to the law – caught, charged in the court of law and deported instead of being given special treatment with the issuance of documentation,” he said in a statement.

He said giving undocumented people identification would not prevent future problems or guarantee that these people would not commit the same crime again.

Kitingan said all foreigners must have valid personal documents issued by their country of origin and Malaysia should not be burdened with creating new documents to identify illegal immigrants.

“In the meantime, many native Sabahans, particularly those living in remote locations, lack personal documentation due to the difficulties of travelling to towns to register their births.

“And unlike illegal immigrants, many of these inland individuals could verify their ancestry and thus should be awarded the proper documents and given citizenship,” he said.

PBS secretary-general Datuk Joniston Bangkuai reiterated the need for a bipartisan committee to address Sabah’s illegal immigrant issue.

“Let’s not make an assumption or jump the gun but wait for the state government to provide details of its preliminary discussion with Putrajaya,” he said.

His party, he added, would never waver from its long-standing stance on the issue.