KIMANIS POLLS | The police have given conditional approval for two Sabah-based NGOs to hold a protest against the implementation of the Sabah Temporary Pass (PSS) in Membakut three days before the Jan 18 Kimanis by-election.
Sabah People’s Education Improvement Organisation (Pipa) committee member Benjamin Ondoi told Malaysiakini that the police gave their nod on Jan 12.
According to a letter signed by Beaufort district police chief Azmir Abd Razak, the organisers were told to ensure the participants of the protest not to act or say anything inciting that could worsen bad feelings or cause antagonism among the public.
They were allowed to gather at Pekan Lama Membakut, which is in the Kimanis parliamentary constituency, from 9am to 11am on Wednesday.
Former Kimanis parliamentarian Anifah Aman is the key speaker of the protest, dubbed "Himpunan Solidariti Rakyat Bantah PSS".
Three other key speakers are Sabah opposition leader and Parti Sabah Solidariti Tanah Airku (Star) president Jeffrey Kitingan, Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) president Yong Teck Lee, and Parti Bersatu Sabah information chief and Kinulu state assemblyperson Johniston Bangkuai.
"We expect some 300 people to turn up. The more the merrier," said Benjamin.
The protest is organised by Pipa and Solidariti Rakyat Sabah (Sorak).
Benjamin urged the federal government to stop issuing the PSS, which is scheduled to roll out in June, to the 136,055 migrants who are currently holding IMM13, Burung-burung cards and census certificates.
He raised concern that the children and offsprings of the 136,055 PSS holders may receive citizenships.
"This is only the holders of these documents, what about their children and grandchildren? The number of migrants may easily be up to 600,000 (as claimed by many)," Benjamin said.
He also raised concern about security threat, citing previous reports of crime involving immigrants and their children.
He said the government should send them back to the Philippines or Indonesia.
"We are not against them, but they can still enter Sabah using their passports," Benjamin said.
The PSS is the main issue harped by BN in the ongoing Kimanis by-election campaign.
On Saturday, Home Minister Muhyiddin Yassin explained at the semi-rural constituency that PSS holders will not be granted citizenship.
The PSS is a federal policy announced by Muhyiddin last September.
Holders of IMM13 are Filipino refugees who fled to Sabah in the 1970s during the escalation of the separatist violence in the Mindanao region which saw many fleeing the Marcos regime.
Economic migrants or stateless people were given Burung-burung cards in the 1980s and Federal Special Task Force Banci (census) cards in the 1990s.
IMM13 is issued by the Immigration Department, while the Burung-burung cards are issued by the Chief Minister's Department and the census certificates by the National Security Council.
Currently, there are 51,645 IMM13 holders; 47,518 census certificate holders and 39,892 Burung-burung holders.
Under the PSS, the government will revoke previous documents once the PSS is issued, streamlining the process and allowing for better documentation of migrants in the state.
It is a government initiative intended to tackle the problem of document forgery in Sabah.
The PSS will come in the form of a card with biometric security features, including fingerprint and a photograph of its holder, which is absent in the three documents. - Mkini
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