KOTA KINABALU – Despite similarities between the migrant card proposed by the current government and Sabah’s temporary pass (PSS), Warisan is calling for transparency in its implementation to avoid abuse.
Party president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal said the matter requires analysis before he can support the items proposed by the Special Committee on Undocumented Foreign Workers and Foreign Nationals in Sabah.
“If it is beneficial to the country (we will support), but it must be transparent. We don’t want that at the end of the day, the database is digitised but open to manipulation,” he said in a press conference today.
Last Tuesday, there was a town hall session on Sabah’s undocumented migrant crisis that was held to get consensus on the proposal. It involved political leaders, community leaders, and non-governmental organisations.
When asked if the proposed migrant card is the same as PSS, Shafie said it is up to the people to decide but took the opportunity to take a swipe at his opponents.
He said the people have been manipulated as Sabah Progressive Party president Datuk Yong Teck Lee and Sabah STAR Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan held demonstrations to reject the PSS.
“They (Yong and Jeffrey) wore black shirts to a demonstration to reject PSS. Where are Yong and Jeffrey now?
“When something (PSS) is good for Sabah, but only because it is presented by Warisan, they label it ‘illegal immigrants’.”
Meanwhile, Warisan deputy president Datuk Darell Leiking said politicians in the government pushing for the migrant card have proved that they lied when they opposed PSS, since the two are similar.
“They are the ones who criticised PSS on social media and held demonstrations in Gaya Street and Kimanis. In the end, they are the ones supporting the same thing (migrant card) proposed by Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin.
“We will support anything that is good for the state, but don’t lie.”
Leiking said the migrant card is based on data collection of the 136,055 migrants holding Kad Burung-Burung, IMM13, and the Census Certificate, which was what PSS was meant for as well.
He added that the only difference between the two is that the current government has time to explain to the people what the migrant card is, while Warisan did not.
He also raised concerns that the proposed migrant card may be used to legitimise migrants who entered the state illegally. – The Vibes, June 4, 2022
