Don't jump the gun on special card for foreigners - Sabah CM
Sabah Chief Minister Hajiji Noor reminded all parties today to not ‘jump the gun’ over the ‘Foreigner Card’ issue, as it was merely a recommendation made by the technical committee on the issue.
The recommendation would have to undergo fine-tuning, taking into account input from all stakeholders, including political parties, activists, and Sabahans, he said.
He added that the matter would be further...
Sabah Chief Minister Hajiji Noor reminded all parties today to not ‘jump the gun’ over the ‘Foreigner Card’ issue, as it was merely a recommendation made by the technical committee on the issue.
The recommendation would have to undergo fine-tuning, taking into account input from all stakeholders, including political parties, activists, and Sabahans, he said.
He added that the matter would be further deliberated by the state government before a final decision is made.
He also stressed the proposal does not involve giving foreigners identification cards nor documents granting them citizenship.
“The State Management Committee on Foreign Nationals was established following the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on illegal immigrants in Sabah’s recommendation for a joint platform between the state and federal government to manage this issue,” Hajiji (above) said in a statement today.
Home Minister Hamzah Zainudin said yesterday that a special card would be created and issued to foreign nationals residing for long periods in Sabah, including their children.
He also described the suggestion made by the Sabah government as good, saying that the card would enable the authorities to ascertain the number of foreign nationals present in the state.
Hajiji said the Kad Warga Asing (foreigner card) and the Kad Pekerja Warga Asing (foreign worker card) have been proposed to be standard documents for all holders of IMM 13, Sijil Banci, and Kad Burung-Burung, which were previously issued to Filipino immigrants and all legal foreign workers.
“The proposed foreign worker card will be issued to all foreign workers in the plantation, agriculture and fisheries, manufacturing, construction, and domestic helper sectors amongst others.
“We need to establish a database of foreign workers so that there is a systematic record of their presence in the state," Hajiji said.
“We take into account views and input from all relevant parties who share a concern on this legacy issue. At the state level, I will chair the State Security Committee (JKKNS) while the State Secretary will head the working committee,” he added.
The chief minister said key JKKNS members comprised ESSCOM, the Armed Forces, police, Immigration and Registration Departments, the Internal Affairs and Research Office of the Chief Minister’s Department, and the National Security Council as joint secretariat.
Transparent, accurate information
He added that the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) state government is determined to solve the long-standing undocumented immigrant issue.
“As a responsible government, the GRS state government will always be guided by the interests of the people and state in its decision-making. The GRS state government takes note of all the views and input from all quarters, following the statement by the Home Minister,” he said.
The administration, he reiterated, will transparently find a solution to the undocumented immigrant issue and will ensure accurate information regarding the issue is disseminated to all.
“Our stand is that all illegal immigrants must be deported and only those working legally in the state will be issued with the foreign worker card. Background checks will be done and those with criminal records will face the full brunt of the law,” Hajiji stressed.
He said the issue is important as a sufficient workforce is vital in the government’s efforts to attract more investment to the state.
He also welcomed the federal government’s efforts to jointly deliberate on a way forward to solve the issue.
- Bernama
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