M'sians make up 22.1pct of Bajau Laut community, says Saifuddin

Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said 22.1 percent of the Bajau Laut community in Sabah is made up of Malaysians with valid birth certificates and identity cards.

Citing a census conducted by the Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCOM), Saifuddin said it was found that there are 28,000 people in the Bajau Laut community, of which 6,200 are Malaysians.

Saifuddin was quoted as saying by Bernama today that the remainder, including children and heads of families, consists of individuals without identity documents.

“We acknowledge the existence of this Pala'u community in Sabah, and a meeting on the management of foreigners in Sabah, the Foreigner Management Committee, was held yesterday, which I chaired together with the chief minister (Hajiji Noor).

“At the meeting, we reviewed reports on the Pala’u community, starting with the data from the ESSCOM study, and established their numbers,” he was quoted as saying after the Home Ministry’s security inspection of the Eastern Sabah Security Zone today.

Derogatory term

The term “Pala’u” uttered by Saifuddin is considered derogatory and should not be used.

While the term is widely used when describing Bajau Laut, even by some media and government agencies, Universiti Malaya gender studies senior lecturer Vilashini Somiah previously told Malaysiakini that the word had a similar impact to the derogatory word “K” used against the Indian community in the country.

However, unlike the Indian community, where there are agencies who could speak up against it, Vilashini said the Bajau Laut community has no one to support them.

READ MORE: KINIGUIDE | The plight of stateless Bajau Laut in Sabah

Citing her nearly eight months with the Bajau Laut community in Lahad Datu, Vilashini said many had spoken to her about how they hated and detested the word.

State govt initiatives

Saifuddin said the meeting today also featured a presentation on several initiatives by the state government related to the Bajau Laut community.

Among the initiatives are resettling the community to Pantai Manis - with plans to develop 50 to 100 houses as a new settlement area – and engaging with heads of families to identify those interested in working in sectors like plantations, aquaculture, agriculture, and other skilled fields.

“This initiative has already started. Pala’u children are being placed in a centre in Kota Kinabalu with guardians, and two more similar centres are planned to help reduce begging activities.

“The centre offers various self-care training classes, including basic literacy courses. The Sabah government is also working with educational NGOs such as Haluan and Iskul.

“It is time to recognise this initiative as a strong commitment by the state government,” Saifuddin said.

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