Ewon (fourth from right) with UPKO Kota Belud members at the family day.
KOTA BELUD: The involvement of a National Registration Department (NRD) staff in the syndicate involved in falsifying identification documents violates the country’s sovereignty, said Rural Development Minister Datuk Ewon Benedick.
Therefore, he said the strictest of action must be taken on the officer involved, as not only had the individual tarnished the image of civil servants, the person had also violated the country’s law.
The Kadamaian assemblyman pointed out that the issuance of citizenship through dubious means threatens the country’s security and its danger is tantamount to the armed intrusion in Tanduo, Lahad Datu a few years ago.
Ewon is of the opinion that police must complete its investigations so that the case can be brought to court and deterrent punishment be meted out to those involved.
He said this when commenting on the arrest of a NRD Semporna officer and two others for offering the service of issuing birth certificates and identity cards through dubious means in Semporna.
Speaking at UPKO Kota Belud’s family day celebration here on Sunday, Ewon said that as Sabahans, the three individuals have the responsibility of ensuring that the country’s sovereignty continues to be guaranteed.
“If we want Sabah to be free of illegal immigrants, we must be part of the solution. We need to make our residences, farms and business as well as kampungs free of illegal immigrants too,” he said.
Ewon said the issue of illegal immigrants in Sabah is a complex one but needs to be addressed and resolved more effectively.
“The state cabinet has had several discussions about the problem and has also recommended the setting up of a technical committee following the findings of the Royal Commission of Inquiry on the presence of illegal immigrants in Sabah,” he said.
Ewon said that Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal had personally chaired several meetings of the State Security Council and he believed that they had discussed about the issue of illegal immigrants in the Sabah.
According to Ewon at the roadshow on the pre-12th Malaysia Plan, it was mentioned that 28 per cent of the population in Sabah are not Malaysians.
“This is a worrying figure and can be a time bomb in the state if not addressed properly,” he said.