KUCHING – The recent suggestion by Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister II Tan Sri James Jemut Masing for a wall between the state and Indonesia to keep out illegal immigrants has been described as “outrageous”.
Bandar Kuching MP Kelvin Yii said a wall of that magnitude would cost billions in public funds.
“It is better for us to understand the real situation on the ground and address immediate and urgent needs first.
“Instead of building a wall between Sarawak and Kalimantan, we should first address some of the real issues on the ground, for the benefit of the state and its people in the longer term.”
Yii said there are actually more guard posts on the Indonesian side of the border than the Sarawak side.
He said the state could do with erecting more guard posts and integrate technology, such as monitoring via drones or cameras.
“This will definitely require some investment, but definitely not as much as building a Trump-like structure,” said the Sarawak DAP assistant secretary, referring to the wall on the Mexico border pushed by former United States president Donald Trump.
“We also need to activate the full force of our multinational government departments and agencies when dealing with complicated issues like illegal migration and human trafficking.
“This means the agencies cannot continue to work in a silo mentality, but find better ways to collaborate and work together.
“It must include agencies such as immigration, the army, customs and others, including police.”
Yii said all these agencies must coordinate and pool their resources, including via data sharing, for more comprehensive action to deal with the problem of border intrusion.
“What is most important is ensuring our agencies have the highest level of integrity.
“A lot of issues happen when integrity is compromised and corruption takes place. For example, until now, there seems to be little progress in the case where an agent brought in and smuggled out four Indonesians who tested positive for Covid-19.
“There are strong concerns that such smugglers and human traffickers from Kalimantan may bring in more Covid-19 cases into Sarawak.”
He said there have been allegations of the authorities working with syndicates, thus the need to nip the problem in the bud and address the issue of integrity properly.
“We do not want some bad apples to undermine the good efforts of all the agencies involved.”
The armed forces have maintained good relations with their Indonesian counterparts, he said.
He said the long-term solution to all these issues is to have Kalimantan’s economy grow in tandem with Sarawak’s, to the level where there would be no need to cross over to this side.
“That is why Sarawak must look into building deeper, mutually beneficial ties with Kalimantan.
“It is not easy, but it is cheaper than building a road or wall that may cost billions.”
This approach, he said, will also engender more goodwill between the two countries, generating better socio-economic cooperation.
“I urge both the federal government and Sarawak to better understand the situation on the ground and properly address each issue at its core.”
He also called for the setting up of a bipartisan committee, where both government and opposition parties are invited to the border to better understand the situation there and determine if there is a real need to build a wall. – The Vibes, January 21, 2021
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