Sabah hopes to complete foreigner digital data registration by year-end
KOTA KINABALU: Deputy Chief Minister, Datuk Seri Panglima Jeffrey Kitingan hopes the State Government’s digital registration of foreigners will be completed by the end of this year.
“We want to make sure it is all done this year,” he said to reporters.
Jeffrey, who earlier launched the Forest Management Certification at Wisma Pertanian on Monday, however said that they are facing manpower issues which slowed down the process.
“We want more resources and teams or else we will be slower. We want it all done by this year, as soon as possible,” he said.
Jeffrey, who is also Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industry Minister as well as the head of the special committee for the digital registration of foreign workers, said the project was now collecting data from all foreign workers in plantations after its pilot project on Sawit Kinabalu, which saw about half of its 14,855 foreign workforce working illegally.
He also said there was a meeting recently to look at the pilot study reports which have been presented to the Cabinet since last year.
Meanwhile, Sabah is the first state in the country to have rubber plantation participants under the Rubber Industry Board (LIGS) awarded with the Forest Management Certification for the rubber category from the Forest Stewardship Council.
“This is very significant as it is the first one in Malaysia,” said Jeffrey.
“With the award of the certification, this is historical for the rubber sector in Malaysia and is a proud moment for the people of Sabah and is the pride of smallholders in Tuaran district due to the recognition in forest management which was started here by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).”
He acknowledged the 56 LIGS rubber plantation participants under the Tuaran rubber plantation scheme as the recipients of the certificates.
“I have also been informed that LIGS is in the process of expanding the scope of certification to other plantations it manages at several districts including in Tenom, Keningau and Sipitang to be recognised by FSC,” he said.