KOTA KINABALU: The Palau (Bajau Laut) should not be confused with illegal immigrants or or the issue used as a political tool during elections, says Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan.
He emphasized that the government and society need to distinguish these people from conventional foreign citizens since the Palau are not foreign nationals.
"They have to be separated and people have to understand the difference. It’s a specific issue and they are not to be categorised as foreign illegal immigrants, but a special population and a special group of human beings that needs to be helped," he said.
"Yes, this should not be politicised," Kitingan stressed when asked if he agreed that this matter is often used as political agendas and gimmicks during elections just to win votes.
However, he noted that for the Sabah government to assist them in terms of providing some form of identity as a community, they must be willing to settle down in one place and accept the solutions offered.
Until then, there is no way for the state to help these communities, he said, adding that he does not know if they will ever learn to settle down but as long as they remain nomads, it would be challenging for the government to assist them.
Kitingan suggested that as people of the sea, this community could act as guardians of the seas since they possess special skills in the sea, which should be developed to elevate their socioeconomic status.
When asked whether this community should be registered, he affirmed that they should be recognised as individuals of a community.
"At the moment they have to want to settle down to be identified. But in terms of citizenship, they can be world citizens maybe. But if they settle down then in Sabah, we can deal with them," he said.
Regarding the ongoing digitalisation process for the undocumented and illegal immigrants in Sabah, Kitingan mentioned that it is still being carried out but the data has yet to be compiled.
"We want to complete this as soon as possible. After they have been registered, then maybe we can think of charging them to be re-registered (for work or other legal purposes)," he said.
