STAR backs call to include Sabah in plan to deport illegal immigrants

STAR strategic director Edward Linggu.

KOTA KINABALU: A local opposition party today supported the call by Sabah PPBM chief Hajiji Noor to include Sabah in the federal government’s ‘Back for Good Programme’.

Speaking to reporters here today, Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR) strategic director Edward Linggu said Hajiji’s statement that the programme, under which illegal immigrants are deported to their countries of origin, was timely.

Unfortunately, he said, the same statement also indicated Putrajaya’s longstanding tendency of not including Sabah in many national programmes.

“How many times have we heard them describing important programmes as ‘to be implemented throughout the country, including Sabah and Sarawak’?

“It is as if Sabah and Sarawak are optional parts of the nation. No wonder leaders in Sabah from both sides of the political divide never assume national programmes to automatically include the Bornean states,” he said.

Linggu said Hajiji’s appeal for Sabah’s inclusion in the deportation of illegals was due to the neglect of the illegal immigrant problem in Sabah by the federal government.

He said the federal government never cared to resolve the problem from the time it started to become serious in the 1970s.

As such, he said Putrajaya must be reminded constantly of its responsibility to clean Sabah of “undesirable elements” especially so now, as it has become a threat to Sabah’s security.

“Putrajaya seems to have forgotten that the people of Sabah are increasingly worried about their future in terms of demography, economy and security.

“There is a suspicion among the indigenous population that the authorities may be complicit in encouraging the growth of an immigrant population in Sabah.

“Many even claim that an illegal immigrant can easily obtain a genuine MyKad. Even Hajiji had raised the issue before, and his patriotic call to get these unwanted immigrants deported is timely and crucial,” he said.

Linggu also called on the security forces at the state and national level to formulate a definitive programme to remove illegals still roaming in Sabah and not to only make the occasional “small arrest”.

He said what Sabah needed was a statewide massive sweep which had been promised by the government many times but never carried out.

“Sadly, we were never given any explanation why these programmes failed to be implemented,” he said.

The Back for Good amnesty programme for foreigners who have overstayed or do not possess valid travel documents will be implemented from Aug 1 to Dec 31. - FMT