Sabah leaders on both sides want illegals problem solved, says Kitingan

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah leaders from both sides of the political divide want to resolve the problem of illegal immigrants and stateless people in Sabah.

Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan (pic) said all leaders, with the close cooperation with enforcement authorities, are working closely together to find a workable and acceptable solution to the problem.

"However, the solution proposed by the Home Ministry to issue a document and call it 'kad warga asing' or 'foreign nationals' card' seems unacceptable to Sabahans.

"Naming the document a 'non-citizen resident card' would be more acceptable because it immediately distinguishes these cardholders from genuine citizens," he said in a statement on Monday (May 16).

On Saturday (May 14), Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin said that Sabah leaders must have political will to resolve the illegal immigrants problem, and consider the proposal for the issuance of foreigner cards.

Kitingan said the GRS-BN government is currently considering issuing Sabah Ics for administrative purposes.

Sabahans have been pushing for a "Sabah IC" and believe that it help ensure Sabahan rights are protected.

"We are doing our best to resolve this according to our own abilities, and we hope Putrajaya has the political will to support Sabah's aspirations," he said.