Kota Kinabalu: Parti Warisan (Warisan) Deputy President Datuk Darell Leiking is confused about the Pas Sementara Sabah (PSS) and the proposed “card” for migrants in the State.
Parti Solidariti Tanahairku (Sabah Star) Vice President Kenny Chua said one of the objectives of the implementation of the proposed “card” is to develop a database on migrants in the State, which includes refugees and stateless persons.
He stressed that unlike the PSS which would have been renewable every three years, the proposed data card is not and it must never be confused with an identity card.
“Whenever we use the word ‘card’, the first thing that comes to mind is a personal legal identity document like our IC or birth certificate. This project is not about this. It’s basically a head count exercise on migrants in Sabah and this data is what the State Government has to have.
“For a very long time we have this big elephant in the room and it’s been a pain for us to resolve. Our biggest weakness has been because we don’t have concrete data. We don’t know their exact number in the State as they are very mobile. We don’t know their whereabouts in Sabah.
“As a Sabahan, Darell should be thankful to the present government for providing a solution to this decade-long problem instead of politicising it,” he said in a statement.
Darell had reportedly said that both the PSS and the special identity cards were similar.
But Chua insisted that they are not.
He also pointed out data on the population, either citizens or non-citizens in Sabah, has always been kept by the federal authorities.
“It’s time we have our own database because these people have long been on our home soil and we need to know exactly who they are and their whereabouts, including all those stateless and the stateless kids,” he said.
Deputy Chief Minister Sabah Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan was reported to have said recently that it would be an integrated data system that will be monitored by authorities under the Home Ministry and other enforcement agencies.
He said the Government still had no name yet for the document and was aware of the sensitivity in using the word “card.”
He said the project would focus on inland foreigners.
These “inland foreigners” are Filipino refugees issued with Immigration Pass (Imm13), Special Task Force census certificate and the Kad Burung Burung (issued in the 1980s by the State Government), he said.
He said the move to obtain biometric data as well as issue a card would ensure the human rights of the inland foreigners were respected and ensure the sovereignty of Sabah was not threatened by their presence.
Touching on the town hall session, Chua said it showed the GRS-BN State Government was inclusive as it also involved opposition politicians, non-governmental organisations and native groups.
* Follow us on Instagram and join our Telegram and/or WhatsApp channel(s) for the latest news you don't want to miss.
* Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available.
