KIMANIS POLLS | Former Sabah chief minister Joseph Pairin Kitingan has appealed to Kimanis voters to save the state from the implementation of the Sabah Temporary Pass (PSS) by voting for BN in Saturday’s Kimanis by-election.
"It is crucial for us to stay united and safeguard the future of our state, defend our rights as a citizen and to uphold the nation's sovereignty (from the implementation of PSS)," he told a 1,000-strong crowd at BN's gathering at Kimanis Commercial Centre last night.
"This is the time for us to be united and save our future by ensuring BN candidate Mohamad Alamin wins with a huge majority so that he can carry our voice in the Parliament," he said.
Pairin (below) was the unexpected guest at the gathering, dubbed Himpunan Muafakat Rakyat Sabah . He was made the key speaker at the gathering and spoke at length on the issue.
He was roped in BN's final lap of campaigning to woo Kadazandusun Murut (KDM) voters that make-up of 45 percent of the electorate in Kimanis.
The gathering was a platform to display the solidarity among the local opposition, in particular KDM-based parties, to drive home the message to the community on why they should vote for BN.
In the 2018 general election, BN's Anifah Aman was only able to secure the support of 38 percent of the non-Muslim bumiputera voters. BN garnered the support of 53 percent Muslim bumiputera constituents.
Muslim bumiputera makes up 63.16 percent while non-Muslim bumiputera comprises 30.67 percent of voters in the semi-rural constituency of 29,664 voters.
Pairin, the retired politician who helmed Sabah from April 1985 to March 1994, again hit the headlines when he was accused of initiating the idea of Sabah Resident Pass (PRS) during the BN government’s rule while Warisan and the Pakatan Harapan government modified it into PSS.
Several leaders, including Home Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, Sabah Chief Minister Shafie Apdal and state minister Junz Wong had said PSS was first started by BN.
Pairin was accused of suggesting the resident pass via a technical committee, which is parked under the Committee on the Management of Foreigners in Sabah.
The committee was set up following the release of the Royal Commission of Inquiry's report on the Sabah migrant issue in Dec 2014.
Pairin admitted that the technical committee recommended the resident pass but that was the input from the immigration officer.
The resident pass was never approved by BN, insisted Pairin.
He also clarified that he was never part of the RCI and its report never recommended the implementation of PSS.
Quite the contrary, he said, the BN government intended to build more temporary detention centre for illegal migrants and wanted to speed up their deportation process.
Without mentioning names, Pairin also said the state government then had voiced its concern of the illegal migrants' issue to the then prime minister but nothing was done about it.
"The then prime minister was not good at handling our complaint, he did not understand or purposely didn't want to understand (the issue). Only former prime minister Najib Razak picked up the issue and formed the RCI (into Sabah migrant issue)," he said.
Pointing his gun at Warisan and Harapan, Pairin said PSS, which will impact Sabah, shouldn't have been approved without more discussions.
The PSS is a new document which the Immigration Department will issue in June to migrants, replacing three existing documents - IMM13, Burung-burung cards and census certificates.
The Home Affairs Ministry had issued a statement making it clear that the PSS will not lead to more migrants or any other foreigners attaining citizenship, but it has been taken up by BN as an issue with which to challenge the state government.
BN chairperson Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (above) said the presence of six former cabinet members and himself could verify what was said by Pairin.
He said Warisan just want to play the blame game over the implementation of PSS.
The other BN leaders at the event included Umno secretary-general Annuar Musa, MCA president Wee Ka Siong, Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) president Maximus Johnity Ongkili, Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS) deputy president Arthur Joseph Kurup, Sabah BN chief Bung Moktar Radin, and Anifah.
PAS was not invited to speak at the event but its secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan was present.
In his speech, Wee said Sabah has four opposition parliamentarians out of a total of 25 parliamentary seats.
He said there is a need to strengthen the opposition voices in Dewan Rakyat.
Anifah reiterated that with the implementation of PSS in Sabah, the orang asal might end up becoming migrants themselves.
The Kimanis by-election was called after the Election Court voided the Kimanis election results on grounds that the Election Commission (EC) failed to comply with election procedures.
Anifah had won Kimanis with a razor-thin 156-vote majority in the last general election. - Mkini
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