KOTA KINABALU – The issuance of cards to undocumented migrants in Sabah will be done by the federal government only with clearance from the Sabah government, Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan said.
The Sabah deputy chief minister, who heads the Special Committee on Undocumented Foreign Workers and Foreign Nationals, said this will ensure the government’s controversial plan to issue cards to migrants in the state will have its rightful check and balance.
He also stressed that it is important to resolve the migrant problems now as Sabah currently faces an acute shortage of workers.
He said the committee’s recommendations presented to the state cabinet have been agreed to.
The recommendations include the creation of a digital database on the profiles of migrants and thereafter the issuance of cards.
This had received the support of politicians and non-governmental groups who had met at a town hall session held in June.
Kitingan said the recommendations were also presented to the federal government, which is now prepared to devolve parts of its power on this matter to the state government to register the migrants.
“This means the Sabah government will have to establish a unit to register them. The unit will operate under the State Affairs Unit within the chief minister’s department.
“The unit will be authorised to approve the handing out of cards to migrants, but the federal government will issue the cards.
“This is the first time Sabah would be handed with such authority to oversee the approval of the cards to the migrants.
“No cards will be issued without the approval from the Sabah Government,” he said during a press conference after launching the Livestock, Aquaculture and Agriculture Exhibition held here today.
Kitingan said the issuance of the cards will only commence after the digital database on the identity of the migrants is completed. He added that the government has not decided on a name for the identity card.
“There have been many names (suggested) but we will wait until the digitalisation process is complete,” he said.
The same effort to register and provide an identity card to the migrants in Sabah during the previous Pakatan Harapan federal administration was cancelled after being met with opposition from various political parties.
The previous federal government had introduced the Sabah Temporary Card, which the then opposition parties alleged was an attempt to naturalise the illegal immigrants in Sabah.
Similarly, the current effort also focuses on registering the holders of the IMM13 documents, Surat Burung-Burung and Census Slip, who were earlier reported to number around 136,065 individuals.
Kitingan, however, said the number has now changed. – The Vibes, August 5, 2022
