‘BN DID NOT APPROVE RESIDENT PASS’
Pairin: No mention of Sabah Temporary Pass in RCI report
SABAH Resident Pass is only a recommendation by the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on illegal immigrants in Sabah and was never approved for implementation by the previous Barisan Nasional government, said a former deputy chief minister.
Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) founder Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan, who retired from politics in 2018, also said there was no mention of Sabah Temporary Pass (PSS) in the 360-page RCI report.
“I’ve retired but my name is often mentioned in the newspapers, linking me to PSS.
“I kept flipping the report pages to look for PSS and my name, but I couldn’t find it except for the Sabah Resident Pass.
“This 360-page book is an RCI report and among the recommendations is to form a permanent secretariat to look into the presence of illegal immigrants and matters related to it,” he said at Himpunan Muafakat Rakyat Sabah here last night.
Pairin said the RCI report also recommended the main committee on illegal immigrants be formed and this committee was co-chaired by then deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and then chief minister Tan Sri Musa Aman.
Pairin chaired a small technical committee, under the main panel, meant to collect information with regard to illegal immigrants from political bodies, non-governmental organisations, Sabah Law Association and individuals, among others.
“Their recommendations to the government were submitted to the main committee via the technical committee.
“The one mentioned as a suggestion to use Sabah Resident Pass is proposed via a briefing by the Immigration Department.
“Whatever that is being recommended is submitted to the main committee.
“Until today, there is no decision made on matters submitted to the main committee because of the political change in our country.”
Pairin also said he had submitted a letter dated Sept 16, 2017 to Zahid on the position of the technical committee report on the presence of illegal immigrants following the result of discussion by RCI.
Set up in 2012, the RCI’s public hearings took place in 2013 and the inquiry commission report was completed the following year.
Pairin questioned Parti Warisan Sabah and Pakatan Harapan government’s decision to implement PSS, which was supposedly proposed by BN, without indepth discussion and broad explanation.
“It is as if PSS has been decided for implementation.
“The announcement to issue PSS to 600,000 illegal immigrants was quite sudden.
“Later on, they changed the figure to over 100,000.
“The current government seems to be in a rush to implement PSS as soon as possible. Why? “What’s the reason?
“There are many questions because the due process has not been gone through and this surprises us.
“People have asked what our recommendations were.
“We have proposed for more temporary detention centres (to be set up) and more deportation (of illegal immigrants be carried out) using ferries.
“This was implemented by the previous BN government.
“The current central and state government should continue (the effort),” he said.
Present at the BN ceramah were PBS president Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili, Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah deputy president Arthur Kurup, former Kimanis member of parliament Datuk Seri Anifah Aman, state BN chairman Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin, Umno president Zahid, MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong and BN candidate Datuk Mohmad Alamin.