KOTA KINABALU: DAP Sabah chairman Jimmy Wong has called on the Federal Government to approve the recommendation of the Working Committee on Illegal Immigrants in Malaysia to recall and reissue all Malaysian identity cards (ICs) issued in Sabah.
He also urged the chairman of the committee, Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan, to ensure that the review and re-issuance of the ICs be done within one year.
“We do not want to see the whole situation turned into a ‘wayang kulit’ where the people are taken for a ride by the government. The government must do this thoroughly and not simply carry out ‘token’ recalling and reissuing of the ICs of a few individuals just to show the rakyat as if it is doing something,” the Kota Kinabalu member of parliament said.
The government, he added, must ensure that all ICs issued in Sabah are recalled and reissued to genuine Malaysians after a stringent vetting process.
He also suggested that Pairin appoints DAP Sabah leaders, Dr Edwin Bosi and the other of his choice into the committee so that they can help to ensure that everything is done properly.
“I also urge him to appoint Tan Sri Simon Sipaun into the committee and to give the federal government a one-year time frame to renew all the Sabahan ICs. This is the best way to vet out those who obtained Malaysian citizenship through dubious means and also to clean up the electoral rolls.
“If you don’t agree with it, then don’t waste your time. Just resign from the post as soon as possible,” he said.
Pairin had recommended a re-registration of Sabahan Malaysians with the issuance of a special identity after receiving his appointment letter as chairman of the working committee on the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on illegal immigrants in Sabah.
He said the re-registration of Sabahans would stress on filtering immigrants illegals and those with refugee status, from locals.