KOTA KINABALU: Sabah needs a Philippines Consulate rather than an Indian Consulate, says former deputy chief minister Jeffrey Kitingan.
The Sabah STAR president said the number of Indians in Sabah is small and they are mostly Malaysians.
"Sabah also does not need to take in Indian workers because it has more than enough foreign workers from Indonesia and the Philippines, who also speak Bahasa Malaysia.
"Therefore, we do not support the establishment of an Indian Consulate in Sabah," stressed Kitingan in response to the Prime Minister’s announcement of support for the proposed Indian Consulate, here.
This came following Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision to open a consulate in Kota Kinabalu during an official visit to Malaysia on Feb 7.
Others who support the move had explained that the establishment of the consulate was expected to facilitate trade, investment, planning, education and cultural exchanges.
It was also expected to strengthen support for the Indian community and businesses operating here.
However, some Sabahans voiced their concerns online and questioned the rationale behind the decision, said Kitingan.
They questioned the priority, asking why an Indian consulate is being opened in Sabah, when the Indian community and people of Indian descent in Peninsular Malaysia were larger in population and more relevant to be provided with consular services.
Strong sentiment indicates that a Philippine consulate in Sabah is more important and urgent, not an Indian consulate, due to the issue of illegal immigrants and citizens from the Philippines, cross-border issues, and the need for consular services for Filipino citizens in Sabah.
Some questioned whether the Sabah Government was fully consulted before the decision was made, arguing that the state should have a stronger voice in determining the priorities and needs of consulates in Sabah.
In short, while there may be a few who welcome the opening of the Indian consulate, the majority of responses on social media show concern regarding the necessity and priority.
Some feel that the voices and needs of the people of Sabah have not been fully taken into account in making the decision.
Kitingan also proposed that Anwar Ibrahim engage diplomatically with the Philippines President to establish their consulate in Sabah.
According to official statistics, there is a large and increasing number of Philippine citizens in Sabah, not including those who are stateless but originate from the country.
