KOTA KINABALU: A townhall meeting with political leaders will be held on June 2 before the preliminary report on undocumented immigrants is brought to the state Cabinet, said Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan.

       The Deputy Chief Minister, who heads a special committee on the perennial issue, said the report had already been drafted and the political leaders were the last group they would get input from.

       The report is also expected to include proposals to resolve the issue.

       “We want to get the political leaders involved because we need to solve this problem once and for all.

       “We will give them two choices, A or B, and if the majority chooses one, then we will have a solution,” he said but did not elaborate on the recommendations.

       He told reporters this at the press conference on the state-level Kaamatan 2022 celebration yesterday.

       On the federal side insisting on a foreigner’s card to document immigrants, Kitingan said: “There’s nothing wrong with that but we have to do it right; if we talk documentation, Sabahans immediately think of the identity card.

       “So we have to find a win-win solution that everyone can accept, and I believe our proposal (in the report) will be accepted by everyone.”

       Meanwhile, on the state-level Kaamatan festival which culminates on May 30 and 31 at Hongkod Koisaan KDCA in Penampang, Kitingan said he could not estimate the attendance for the two days but believed all visitors would adhere to the standard operating procedure as they did during the district-level celebrations.

       “It is hard to put a figure but I believe a lot will also follow the celebration online, through Facebook and YouTube streaming.

       “For example, during the state-level Kaamatan launch in Tambunan earlier this month, 15,000 viewers were recorded. The number is quite significant,” he added.