KOTA KINABALU: Special card for undocumented migrants in Sabah, or "Kad Wangsa Asing", is till only a proposal, says Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.

       He advised all parties not to jump the gun and said the card was only a recommendation by the Technical Committee that would be further deliberated by the state government before a final decision was made.

       "The State Management Committee on Foreign Nationals was established following an RCI recommendation for a joint platform between the state and Federal government to manage this issue," he said Friday (Feb 11).

       Hajiji was adamant that the proposal did not involve giving foreigners identification cards, nor documents granting them citizenship.

       He also said it would have to undergo fine-tuning by taking into account the views and inputs from everyone, including political parties, activists and the people.

       He said the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) government was determined to solve the long-standing illegal immigrant issue and that as a responsible government, it would always be guided by the interest of the people and state in its decision-making.

       "The GRS state government takes note of all the views and inputs from all quarters following the statement by the Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin on Thursday (Feb 10)," he said.

       "It is better for all not to jump the gun," Hajiji said, stressing that all illegal immigrants must be deported and only those who were working legally in Sabah would be issued with these documents.

       He explained that the Kad Warga Asing and Kad Pekerja Warga Asing (Foreign Worker Card) had been proposed to be a standard document for all holders of IMM13, Sijil Banci and Kad Burung-Burung previously issued to Filipino immigrants and legal foreign workers.

       "The proposed Foreign Worker Card will be issued to foreign workers in the plantation, agriculture and fisheries, manufacturing, construction and domestic helpers sectors, among others," he said.

       Hajiji said a proper database of foreign workers needed to be established so that there was a systematic record of their presence in the state.

       He said that he would chair the state security committee (JKKNS) while the state secretary would head the working committee.

       The key JKKNS members comprised the Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCom), 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 a joint secretariat.

       In this respect, Hajiji said the GRS state government held fast on the principles of transparency in finding a solution to the illegal immigrant issue.

       "Background checks will be done and those with criminal records will face the full brunt of the law," he stressed.

       In welcoming the Federal Government’s efforts to jointly solve this issue, he said this was in line with the government’s efforts to attract more investment to Sabah and among the main criterion would be the availability of a sufficient workforce.

       Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan said the Federal Government’s plan to give documents to illegal immigrants in the country, particularly in Sabah, would only worsen the issue.

       He said illegal immigrants should be treated according to the law; caught, charged in court, and deported instead of given special treatment by the issuance of documentation.

       He said giving the undocumented people identification documents would not prevent future problems nor guarantee that these people would not commit the same crime again.

       Kitingan said all foreigners in the country must have valid personal documents issued by their respective countries of origin and Malaysia should not be burdened with creating new documents to identify illegal immigrants.

       In the meantime, he said many native Sabahans, particularly those living in remote locations, lack personal documentation due to the difficulties of travelling to towns to register their births.

       However, he said contrary to illegal immigrants, many of these inland foreigners could verify their ancestry and thus, should be awarded the proper documents and given citizenship.

       PBS secretary-general Datuk Joniston Bangkuai reiterated the need for a bipartisan committee to address Sabah’s illegal immigrants issue.

       "Let’s not make an assumption or jump the gun but instead wait for the state government to provide details of the preliminary discussion it had with Putrajaya," he said.

       "I believe our Chief Minister and the state leadership, as ‘Orang Asal Sabah,’ would not agree to a decision or action that would be detrimental to the interests of genuine Sabahans," he said.

       As for PBS, it would never waver from its long-standing firm stance on the illegal immigrant issue, Joniston said.