KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) will push for a motion for over the issuance of Sabah identity cards during the state assembly meeting in March.

       SAPP deputy president Edward Dagul said party president Datuk Yong Teck Lee, a nominated assemblyman, would bring the motion forward.

       Dagul said the push for a Sabah IC was aimed at safeguarding Sabahans’ citizenship status and a way for the state government to filter out dubious MyKad holders through a stringent process.

       He said the move to implement a Sabah IC would be timely as the Federal Government’s proposal to issue special cards for foreigners in Sabah has not been well received by many in the state.

       In a statement on Tuesday (Friday), Dagul said that SAPP had completed a working paper about the viability of issuing Sabah ICs and would need input to ensure its legality.

       “We have completed the working paper and taken into account various aspects including legal and socio-economic matters. If this matter is proposed later, we will submit its details to the government for further action,” he added.

       The Sabah IC is expected to resolve many issues related to the dubious issuance of identity cards under Project IC as well resolve the issue of undocumented natives in remote areas.

       “Sabah IC is not a replacement of MyKad, but a guarantee of protection of our rights as genuine Sabahans and deserving Malaysians,” he said, adding that the state’s population had grown 300% from 1970 to 2000 due to Project IC, among others.

       “The government needs to think of new initiatives and be more serious in addressing the ‘symptoms’ of Project IC in total for Sabah,” he said, adding that many leaders in the political divide were in support of Sabah ICs.