KOTA KINABALU: The Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) report, issued on Wednesday, is seen as the starting point of resolving the issue of illegal immigrants in Sabah once and for all.
Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan said the report must be followed by drastic action by the government through its various enforcement agencies to ensure that illegal immigrants would no longer be an issue in Sabah.
“The hope is that it (the report) would be followed through. The government has said that it is going to take drastic action. This is what we are all waiting for.
“So, the presence of illegal immigrants in Sabah has been admitted and that syndicates have been involved,” said Pairin who is also Sabah Infrastructure Development Minister to reporters at the Public Works Department’s excellence service appreciation ceremony here yesterday.
The RCI report, titled ‘Commssion of Inquiry on Immigrants in Sabah’, was released by Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Dr Ali Hamsa, yesterday.
Pairin said the first step that should be taken by the government was to prevent further entry of illegal immigrants into Sabah and to ensure that foreigners without proper travel documents were not allowed in the state.
He hoped the establishment of the Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCom) and Eastern Sabah Security Zone (ESSZone) and with additional security manpower in the ESSZone, the entry of illegal immigrants could be better stemmed.
On his appointment as chairman of the Working Committee as recommended by the report, Pairin said he could not say much about it for the time being but would consult various parties for the next course of action.
Meanwhile, Sabah Umno Deputy Liaison chief Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak voiced full support for the state cabinet’s call on the relevant authorities to take drastic action against the culprits behind the issue of illegal immigrants in Sabah.
He said the remarks made by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman on the state cabinet’s stand on the matter was reflective of its sincerity and seriousness in resolving the longstanding problem.
“Now is the time to move forward on meaningful reform of our approaches and policies to tackle the issue of illegal immigrants in Sabah once and for all. — Bernama