Kota Kinabalu: The Gabungan Rakyat Sabah-led State Government does not see the need for a Sabah Identity Card as a priority at the moment due to other pressing issues such as provision of uninterrupted water and electricity supplies.
“We have not given it any consideration at all. No need to get into that now,” Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said, when asked about calls, including from some GRS components, for Sabahans to have a separate identity documents for specific purposes such as university entry, eligibility for housing for the poor and land applications, among others.
“We already have our Malaysian identity card,” he said, while acknowledging concern over the reported proliferation of foreigners in possession of Mykads as was established by the Royal Commission of Inquiry on Illegal Immigrants which also did not deny the existence of a certain “Projek IC” to legalise them in the 1990s.
One-third of Sabah’s 3-million plus population presently is said to comprise foreigners, both illegals as well as those who have papers.
SPONSORED CONTENT Daily Express members: Enjoy 1 for 1 signature cocktails and more at Hyatt Centric Kota Kinabalu Kota Kinabalu: DAILY EXPRESS is partnering with Hyatt Centric Kota Kinabalu to offer an exclusive deal for our members. Read more On a related matter, the Chief Minister said Peninsular Malaysians who have been residing in Sabah for a long time and meet the requirements of the law would be considered for Permanent Resident status.
“We have no problem granting PR status to Peninsular Malaysians who have stayed or served in Sabah for a long time, such as professionals, specialists and teachers, as long as the law allows it,” he said.
“Perhaps some have settled down here with families and have no desire to return to the peninsula. We will consider all these factors,” he said.
He said most Peninsular Malaysians who apply for PR have lived in Sabah for a long time and are married to Sabahans.
Asked if there is a yearly quota for approvals, he said there was none.
“The length of time an applicant has lived in Sabah, among other factors, is up to the Sabah Government to consider.”
On Sabahans’ frequent grouses over road maintenance, especially potholes, Hajij said he has instructed the relevant departments like district councils, Public Work Department (JKR) and the five road concessionaires to maintain roads that are under their respective jurisdictions without any excuses.
“I reminded them about this many times, that they must be responsible to repair and maintain those roads in Sabah that are under their jurisdiction.
“Actually, Federal has its own company that handles road maintenance and repairs, including State roads.
“As well as concessionaires that get funding from KL. JKR and district councils supervise the work on village roads.
“Sabah is big and there may be roads that are not in the list for repairs or maintenance but receive many complaints from the public,” he said.
When told Sabahans are angry that not all five concessionaires getting hundreds of millions of ringgit yearly since 2000 under former PM Tun Dr Mahathir in 20-year contracts that lack transparency and yet whose contracts are renewed without public knowledge, he said:
“I am aware that many bad roads in Sabah need to be repaired or upgraded. JKR or district councils must be responsible for roads in kampungs (villages).
“If roads in poor condition are not listed, they can be proposed to be included in the list although this will increase the budget.
In Sabah, there are many village roads that are in poor condition which I have checked and street lanes not maintained by the maintenance (concessionaire) company.
“Sometimes the public do not know which roads are under concession companies.
That’s why I spoke to JKR that for roads that need to be attended to that are not in the list, to just put it in although the budget for repairing and maintenance will increase.
I said not to worry as there is a concession company that gets funding from Federal,” he said.
When told the public often vent their frustration to Daily Express because a damaged road would usually be left unattended for some time as the Council, JKR and concessionaire would say it needs to check whether it is under their jurisdiction first before acting, he said:
“Street lane roads in villages are not all maintained by the concessionaire. However, concessionaire companies must expedite repairs if it is theirs.”
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