Sabah continues to be intruded by illegal immigrants as politicians trade fire over the issue, said Urban well-being, Housing and Local Government Minister Abdul Rahman Dahlan.

Calling for a ceasefire, the Kota Belud MP urged politicians from both sides of the divide to train their bullets on combating the problem and not each other.

Pointing out that the issue was greater than partisan politics, he said that it affected the lives of locals.

"The worry of illegal immigrants in Sabah has united politicians from different political backgrounds for the same purpose.

"Hence, do not be caught up in the game of parties looking for political gain from the report," he added in a statement.

The Sabah BN secretary was referring to the royal commission of inquiry report on the influx of immigrants in the state, which was released yesterday.

The opposition has panned the report, which cleared the government and political parties over the issuance of identity cards and instant citizenship in what has been dubbed as "Project IC".

The identification documents were purportedly granted to foreigners in return for votes, a charge which the government has denied.

'Prosper thy neighbour policy'

Meanwhile, Abdul Rahman said current methods to tackle this "complicated problem" must be reassessed and more constructive measures be employed.

"This will help us move forward and give a practical solution," he added.

Therefore, the minister made several proposals, among which were:

  • Crack down on the 'masterminds' (dalang) behind the flooding of illegal immigrants in Sabah and take harsher actions like raiding illegal squatters and deportation.

 

  • The Sabah people should stop hiring immigrants as cheap labour which tempts them to come to the state and also deprives the locals of job opportunities.

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  • The government should revamp the employment policy for locals to take up lesser-preferred jobs like manual labour, farm and domestic workers. Areas like salary, facilities and working conditions should be scrutinised.

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  • Widen the 'prosper thy neighbour' policy. Malaysia should help South Philippines to achieve peace. By achieving peace, there would be more job opportunities there, which would reduce the number of illegal immigrants in Sabah.

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  • The Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) initiative should be revived again as it would help develop the economy in the surrounding region.

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