Foreigners make up only 23.7% of Sabah's 3.4 million population, says Hajiji

KOTA KINABALU: Foreigners make up 23.7% of Sabah's total population of 3,418,785, says Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.

He told the state assembly on Thursday (March 24) there were a total 810,443 foreigners in the state based on the early Population and Housing Census 2020 report by the Statistics Department.

Malaysians made up 2,608,324 of the population, he said, refuting Datuk Christina Liew's (PKR-Api Api) claim that there were over a million Filipinos in the state.

However, Hajiji said the state government was taking steps to resolve the problem of illegal immigrants in Sabah.

He said a special committee headed by Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan was set up on Feb 16 to look into finding a permanent solution to the issue.

The committee has been given three months to come up with recommendations for the state Cabinet to act on, Hajiji said when winding up debates on the government policy speech by Yang Di-Pertua Negeri Tun Juhar Mahiruddin.

Hajiji also shot down a proposal by nominated representative Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee of SAPP for Sabah to issue its own identity cards to protect the rights of original Sabahans, as many MyKads had supposedly been issued to foreigners.

Hajiji said the issuing of identity cards was under the purview of the Federal Government.

On tightening security on the east coast of Sabah, Hajiji said the Federal Government had suggested the setting up of a General Operations Force (GOF) Brigade in Lahad Datu and a battalion in Kunak district.

There is also a proposal to set up new GOF outposts at the Kuala Sg Manalunan rivermouth in Kinabatangan and Maruap rivermouth, as well as forward operational bases in Pulau Banggi in Kudat and Pulau Mabul in Semporna.

On Yong's suggestion for Sabah to take back the Federal territory of Labuan, Hajiji said Sabah could not unilaterally pass Bills for the return of the island, as it has to take into account the views of the islanders there who have the right to decide their fate.

On Yong's call for the state to urge the Federal Government to allow the Australian government to disclose the report on the June 6, 1976 Nomad air crash that killed former Sabah chief minister Tun Mohd Fuad Stephens, Hajiji said the matter was under Federal purview.