Kota Kinabalu: Former Sabah Bersatu Deputy Chairman Aksyah Nasrah said the shock revelation that the Warisan State Government issued support letters to illegal immigrants to obtain citizenship is cause for concern as it risks national sovereignty.
“How could the then-head of government so easily support granting official documents that would recognise the applicants as Malaysian citizens?” he asked in a statement.
Commending the National Registration Department (NRD) for its clarification on standard operating procedures, he said the 2019 document showing then-Chief Minister Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal’s written support for an identity card application was unusual.
“They (Warisan leaders) claim that supporting such public applications is normal. Whether approved or not, they say, depends on the relevant agency.
“I agree that support letters from leaders are common. But this is for routine administrative matters such as applying for funds, project approvals or applications related to job vacancies or programmes related to the concerned agency or institution.
“Does applying for official identity documents from the NRD, which grants the applicant the status and privileges of a citizen, also fall under routine matters deserving such support, especially when that support comes from the highest-ranking State leader at the time?
“Should it not have been better not to issue any support letter for citizenship-related application but rather advise the applicant to submit their request directly to the relevant agency and follow standard procedures?
“After all, what is there to worry about? The applicant is not yet a citizen and does not have exclusive rights, including voting rights, during elections,” he said.
Aksyah is grateful that since Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor became Chief Minister and the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) took over as State Government there has been no incidents of support letters issued for identity documents approvals by the NRD.
“Yet the opposition continue to mislead the public by accusing GRS of granting official documents to illegal immigrants through Smart Sabah.
“How foolish to blindly accuse an agency whose role is solely related to Foreign Worker Registration.”
He said the Smart Sabah was set up to compile data on foreign workers, not residents. So that the State and Federal Governments can plan and determine the best policies regarding foreign labour in line with the National Labour Policy.
“It is not a scheme to grant citizenship documents to foreigners. To this day, I have never heard or seen Smart Sabah issue identity documents to any foreign worker,” he said.