Bumburing
KOTA KINABALU: The recommendations of the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on the presence of illegal immigrants in Sabah did not mention anything about issuing a temporary document for the transient migrants.
This is in contrary to what the Deputy Minister of Home Affairs said that the implementation of the Pass Sementara Sabah (PSS) is in accordance with the RCI’s recommendation, said Parti Cinta Sabah (PCS) president Datuk Seri Panglima Wilfred Bumburing.
As a result of the wide spread opposition from the people of Sabah, the state government is now scrambling to find basis to rationalize the scheme, said Bumburing in a statement yesterday.
He added that it is apparent that the government had not scrutinized the recommendation.
“I therefore challenge the government to indicate which part of the RCI report which specifically recommend the implementation of the PSS. On page 421 of the report the commission had recommended the setting up of a Permanent Secretariat (Urus Setia Tetap) under which a management committee with wide range of power in support of the said secretariat.
“The commission said that if the suggested management committee is not acceptable by the government then they recommended the setting of a Consultative Council on illegal immigrants. The members of this council should be headed by a neutral professional with high integrity and who is not involved in politics.
“I quote the report as follows:- “ .. suatu Majlis Perundingan mengenai Pendatang/Orang Asing yang di ketuai olih professional bebas yang mempunyai intergriti yang paling tinggi yang tidak terlibat dalam politik dan terdiri daripada pegawai kanan kerajaan. Tokoh korporat, ahli akdemik, wakit persatuan peguam, peguam negeri dsd, bolih ditubuhkan. Majlis tersebut perlu diberi kuasa yang luas untuk menjalankan penyelidikan dan kajian mengenai semua aspek yang berhubungan dengan pendatang/orang asing di Sabah dan untuk membincangkan dan mempertimbangkan mengenainya dan salepas itu, untuk membuat laporan kepada Urus Setia Tetap.”.
Bumburing said if the government claims that the implementation of the PSS is in accordance with the recommendation of the RCI, then the question is whether the Consultative Council has been set up as per recommendation of the RCI.
“In as far as we know the government had not taken any step to look at the RCI recommendation seriously, much less implement the recommendation. A so-called executive or working committee had been set up, which was headed by Tan Sri Pairin (Kitingan), nothing was known of the successive action on the matter.
“It is therefore clear that the implementation of the PSS is purely from the initiative of the State government as was affirmed by the Home Ministry. It is the onus of the government to tell the rakyat the various successive steps taken on the recommendation which culminate to the issuance of the PSS,” he said.