Problems posed by the rising number of illegal immigrants in Sabah will spill over to Peninsular Malaysia should the federal government fail to take action, warns opposition leader Dr Jeffrey Kitingan.

Jeffrey said there was no way of stopping illegal immigrants - who obtained citizenship, permanent residency, passports and identity cards through dubious means under the clandestine 'Project IC' or 'Project M' - from flooding into Peninsular Malaysia.

At present, he warned, these illegal immigrants were already wreaking havoc in Sabah by taking away jobs from locals, joining political parties and being added into the electoral roll.

Foreigners, he contended, now outnumber locals in Sabah by 1.7 million to 1.5 million.

"We hope the federal government can take some action because it is in the interest of everyone, including the government itself, to resolve the problems," said Jeffrey, who is also Sabah PKR deputy chief.

New state government

He said PKR would be raising the issue of illegal immigrants in Sabah during the coming general election, adding that the issue has already been included in its draft manifesto.

"A PKR state government would do its best to resolve many of the problems faced by Sabahans due to the presence of illegal foreigners, but that doesn't mean we are against foreigners," he said.

Foreign labour was a contributor to the state's economy, said Jeffrey, but that they were often being exploited by locals.

"We want their (foreigners) cooperation to fight for justice, not only for themselves, but everyone in Sabah [...] we want them to be truthful because the solution to the problems we now face will benefit everyone, including the foreigners seeking jobs and other economic opportunities," added the veteran politician.

Royal intervention sought

On Thursday, Jeffrey, representing Sabah-based Human Development Foundation along with Patrick Sindu, president of Consumer Association of Sabah and Labuan handed a memorandum to the king to inform him of the matter.

In the memorandum, they expressed hope that the king would form a royal commission to look into the matter.

Jeffrey also lodged a police report in Bukit Aman on the same day, providing additional evidence of 'Project M' to expedite investigations.

Thus far, a Filipino had admitted that he received an identity card under the scheme.