Call to stop foreigners marrying local women as ‘job guarantors’
PENAMPANG: Penampang residents have been advised to report any shops in their areas which are believed to be illegally operated to the Penampang District Council or the Penampang parliamentary office.
They should also make every effort to fully support local entrepreneurs, said Pritchard Gumbaris, the political secretary to Penampang member of parliament Datuk Darell Leiking.
“Buy from locals and not from illegal businesses operated by foreigners,” he said when commenting on the recent operation by the Penampang District Council against sundry shops in the district illegally operated by foreigners.
“Should there be any indications that these illegal shops are operating again, please notify the Penampang parliament office and highlight it to the Penampang District Council.
“If that does not effect any change, use the social media to your advantage. Viral it widely.
“The Penampang Voice Facebook page has done its part to viral out the problems and imbalances in Penampang. So kudos to them,” said Pritchard.
He also praised the local councillors for their determination in attending to this issue but is of the opinion that the district officer should be more discerning when approving new licenses for issuance.
Pritchard lamented that there had been some people who were not happy with the action taken to close these businesses and some had even insinuated that it was racially motivated.
“This is utterly not true as Sabah has its laws and regulations just like any other land. If you want to do business here, the rules of law must prevail,” he stressed, adding that there is also a need to look into the issue of foreigners marrying local women just so that they can stay in the state longer.
“The issue of Pakistani nationals marrying local women to maintain their dominance in the local economy and to remain in the country longer should be looked in greater detail, and there is a need to put a stop to such practice to avoid further deterioration of the socioeconomic imbalances of the local community,” he said.
He claimed that this modus operandi of the foreigners has been so effective here in Sabah that it is being replicated in other areas like Kelantan, resulting in the Immigration Department (JIM) in Kelantan saying that the presence of foreigners there had affected local businesses.
“This is not something new in Sabah. Penampang member of parliament, Datuk Darell (Leiking), has been harping on this issue since he first took office as an elected representative when he was a member of the opposition.
“In fact, some opposition cyber-troopers had taken the opportunity to troll YB Datuk Darell by bringing up and twisting his old Facebook postings concerning the mushrooming of Pakistani shops in Penampang.
“What the cyber-troopers were not aware of was that the Penampang District Council staff had gone to the ground twice to remind shop owners without valid documents to close shop as it contravenes the local ordinances,” he stressed.
Commenting further on the recent operation, Pritchard said: “We closed 23 sundry shops because they did not have a valid trading license.
“Some of the operators became aggressive when we requested to peruse their documents. Perhaps, it is time for us to strengthen our local by-laws and ordinances to ensure that no more of such nonsense will exist.”
“No more of these Pakistanis coming in with their work pass to work, operate a sundry shop and marry our women. No more of that.
“We know these women are just being used as a ‘job guarantor' for their so-called Pakistani husbands.
“Imagine the negative impact it would have on the woman if the Pakistani husband were to leave her to fend for herself,” he pointed out.
“Our immigration personnel should be stricter with their checks, especially on those coming from Pakistan.
“Sabah has a lot of backdoor channels, and this must be looked into fast. We do not want them to enter and damage the local economy.
“Even Australia and America, for example, come down hard on illegal workers because of strict immigration and tight local government enforcement. We should do that if need be. Our newly installed MPKK and ketua kampungs should be the eyes and ears on the ground. They will know if such shops are operated by locals or foreigners and put a stop to it,” he added.