KOTA KINABALU: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is the first leader to take a strong proactive action by setting up the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to investigate the problem of illegal immigrants in Sabah, said Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan yesterday.
The prime minister was also quick in taking necessary measures to ensure the security and sovereignty of the country were protected following the Lahad Datu incursion in February by establishing the Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCOM), he said.
“We see that our call to resolve the issue of illegal immigrants in the state has been heard by the current prime minister. This should have been done a long time ago.
“We also see that since the establishment of the ESSCOM, it has stopped the influx of illegal immigrants into the state,” he said,
Pairin, who is also Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) president, suggested that a regularisation exercise be enforced on immigrants who have secure jobs here as they were also assisting in the development of the state’s economy.
However, he said there should be a clear line on who should and should not be included in the electoral roll.
He hoped that those immigrants who came seeking citizenship in the state return to their country of origin as they were not only risking their lives, but also the lives of their families. Pairin called on the people and the relevant authorities to never think twice about protecting the security and sovereignty of the country.
Earlier, businessman Datu Akjan Ali Muhammad denied that a ceremony held in Kampung Likas, near here, in February 2011 was his coronation as the sultan of Sulu.
He said what was believed to be a coronation was actually a gathering to thank the so-called Sulu sultanate for appointing him as the sultanate’s heir. — Bernama