PAPAR: Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) secretary general Datuk Johnny Mositun said he would not dismiss suggestions from various sources for the government to consider issuing a special identity card for Sabahans if that would help the authorities to easily differentiate locals from foreigners or those from other parts of the country.
“As it is, we know that many foreigners, including illegal immigrants, are not easy to distinguish locals from foreigners, and even then so many foreigners are carrying false documents or those obtained fraudulently. This makes it hard to monitor their movements and prevent them from committing crimes,” Mositun said after visiting the site of a fire that completely razed four houses at Kampung Mikik, Rampazan to donate financial assistance and emergency rations to the fire victims.
Mositun said while he would not make any conclusions yet, this was probably the reason why armed intruders who kidnapped two Malaysians from a seafood restaurant just outside Sandakan on Thursday were able to carry out their crime.
He also said this incident was not a reflection on ESSCom or the security forces who had by and large succeeded in stabilizing the situation in Sabah’s east coast.
“Unfortunately such incidents are sensationalized and even politicized by certain quarters for personal mileage. This kind of scare-mongering will do no good for anyone, both locals and visitors to our state. The reality is that Sabah is as safe as any other states in Malaysia, only that these occasional cross-border raids and kidnappings grab headlines and give a negative picture to people in other countries,” he said.
Mositun added he fully agreed with Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun that we should not allow such incidents to dampen our efforts to promote and develop Sabah as a major tourist destination.
On the fire at Kampung Mikik, Mositun said he wished to acknowledge the help and assistance that the member of parliament for Papar, Datuk Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin and the assemblyman for Pantai Manis, Datuk Abdul Rahim Ismail, had given to the fire victims and the time and effort they had spent on visiting them and comforting them. “The authorities, including the District Office, the Welfare Department and other government agencies are also in the process of providing help and assistance to the fire victims. We shall do what we can to bring them some cheer during this Kaamatan season,” he said.