LAHAD DATU – The federal government will propose a strategy to Sabah on how to solve the long-standing problem of the stateless Palauh community in its east coast.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin said that he will present the strategy to solve the issue with political leaders in Sabah, including Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
“However, I cannot reveal the details of the strategy – because I do not want it to become political rhetoric,” he said at a press conference after a visit to the office headquarters of the Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom) here today.
“Often when we announce something, there will be people coming up with negative statements which hinder us from implementing our plan. That is why, I will take this strategy to the attention of the Sabah Chief Minister and other political leaders first.”
The minister said that the strategy will need political will from all parties. “The Palauh (presence) problem is not new, so it is something that we need to solve together.”
The Palauh community – also known as Bajau Laut or sea gypsies – are sea-faring nomads who traditionally live on boats at sea for most of their lives. Most of them are in Semporna, Tawau and Lahad Datu. They came to Sabah in the 1970s to escape war in the Philippines.
Muhamadlaili Basir – founder of the Hugs Project civil society group which focuses on helping marginal groups such as the Bajau Laut people – estimates that there are 30,000 stateless people in Semporna.
Meanwhile, Hamzah said his ministry has approved RM1 million allocation to Esscom to repair and upgrade its existing security posts.
He said he is aware that the safety of Sabah’s waters must be safeguarded as best as they could with the help of more assets and advanced technologies.
“I have discussed on the need for more advanced technologies and assets in safeguarding Sabah from intruders with Esscom Commander Datuk Ahmad Fuad Othman and Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Hazani Ghazali,” the minister said.
“We do not want people to easily enter Sabah – while at the same time, we want to chase out those who have illegally entered Sabah in recent years.”
Hamzah added that the ministry will look into other methods to deal with the other categories of immigrants in Sabah, such as IMM13 card holders.
When asked about the breaking of ties between North Korea and Malaysia, the minister said that his ministry does not feel in any way threatened. “As for issues of sovereignty and bilateral relations between Malaysia and North Korea, we leave it to Wisma Putra (Foreign Affairs Ministry) to do their best,” he said. – The Vibes, March 22, 2021
