Kota Kinabalu: The Federal Government on Thursday announced a moratorium on immigration enforcement in Sabah to allow the State to complete its ambitious programme of digitally registering foreign workers.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the move was aimed at helping the State Government gather accurate, centralised biometric data to better manage its large migrant population.
“We agreed today to facilitate the digital registration of foreign nationals by the Sabah Government. For that reason, we will suspend enforcement to give them space to register under this initiative,” Saifuddin told reporters after chairing two joint meetings with Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor at Menara Kinabalu.
window.googletag = window.googletag || {cmd: []};googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.defineSlot('/22826383987/dailyexpress_inline', [1, 1], 'gpt-passback').addService(googletag.pubads());googletag.enableServices();googletag.display('gpt-passback');});Saifuddin said 113,282 foreign nationals have so far been recorded in the system, mostly plantation workers, but with plans to extend the registration to agriculture, manufacturing, mining and quarry sectors.
The database, which stores photos and fingerprints, will enable real-time monitoring, tracking and policy-making based on credible data.
Saifuddin stressed that the exercise has nothing to do with granting citizenship or permanent residency, and that citizenship matters were handled separately under Article 15A of the Federal Constitution.
At the same meeting, the Special Committee on Citizenship for Sabah processed 1,247 applications, drawn from over 2,000 submitted between 2021 and 2024, covering categories such as children born out of wedlock, those in care homes and applicants whose parents are non-citizens.
The Home Minister also addressed the often-misunderstood plight of the Bajau Laut, or sea gypsies, a stateless community traditionally living in coastal waters off Sabah.
He said State-led projects, such as one at Pantai Manis in Semporna, were providing structured settlements and training opportunities in sectors like agriculture and plantations, including at Felda Sahabat, contrary to public perceptions of neglect.
“Far from being abandoned, there are efforts to house them on land and train them for work in various fields. These are rarely reported, so people don’t see the State Government’s ongoing work,” he said.
Turning to the high-profile death of 13-year-old Zara Qairina Mahathir, Saifuddin confirmed that Bukit Aman’s special task force had found serious procedural failures by local police, including a decision not to proceed with a post-mortem despite having no legal barrier to do so.
He said the exhumation had been completed and preliminary forensic findings were consistent with earlier medical examinations. The results have been shared with Zara’s mother and her lawyer.
“On Monday at 11.30am, I will deliver a ministerial statement in Parliament to explain this matter in full,” Saifuddin said.
