Maximus (left) gives away Chinese New Year greeting card to a vendor at the Gaya Street Sunday Market while Yee (third left), Vicky (fourth left), Joniston (second right) and others look on.
KOTA KINABALU: Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) president Datuk Seri Panglima Dr Maximus Ongkili has rubbished the present government’s claims that the Sabah Temporary Pass (PSS) was conceived by the previous Barisan Nasional (BN) government.
Maximus said the PSS was not in the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on the large presence of illegal immigrants in Sabah.
He said the present government had accused former Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan of approving the issuance of a temporary pass for illegal foreigners when the latter did not have the power to do so.
“PSS is not in the RCI document. Maybe it was proposed in the Technical Committee, but it was never approved by the Management Committee nor the Federal Cabinet.”
Therefore, Maximus said the claim that the BN government had intended to implement the PSS was nonsense.
“It is their own idea to help legalize the illegal immigrants in Sabah.
“We (PBS) are rejecting all the way.
“We call upon the Kimanis voters to protect Sabah from the legalization of illegal immigrants,” he said to the press during the PBS Chinese New Year walkabout at the Sunday market at Gaya Street here yesterday.
Home Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has said that the PSS being played up by the opposition was the brainchild of the previous BN government. He said the BN government had discussed and agreed to implement the PSS, then known as the Pas Residen Sabah (PRESS), but could not do so because it did not win in the last general election.
Muhyiddin also assured that PSS holders would still be categorized as immigrants without travel documents and hence, not qualified to apply for an entry permit, permanent resident status or citizenship.
Maximus said the PSS would threaten the security and livelihood of the people in Sabah.
He said the group of foreigners who really deserved the government’s attention for a proper resolution was the IMM13 holders, which amounted to about 65,000 people excluding their family members.
He said the IMM13 was the only pass recognized under the Immigration Act.
“The Burung-Burung card and Census certificate are not travel or immigration documents.
“These people should be rounded up and sent back because they have no business to stay here.
“The documents they hold are not for work or stay, it is just identification for the purpose of census,” he said.
Maximus said the government should send the illegal foreigners back and if they wished to return, they could do so with proper documents, passports and apply for work pass to stay and work in Sabah.
He said offering PSS to 136,055 holders of the IMM13, Burung-Burung card and Census certificate for a period of three years was ‘ridiculous’, which have yet to include their families.
“Muhyiddin was right when he first announced the PSS. He said 600,000 (recipients). That’s the plan after including the children (of the document holders).
“Now they are saying only issuing the PSS to 136,055 people.
“PSS is legalizing the illegals,” he claimed.
Maximus added that PSS holders’ access to banking services, hospital treatment, send their children to private schools and for marriage purpose as stated by Muhyddin would strip away the rights of the locals.
“They would be driving taxis, Grab cars and taking away jobs from our own people.
“They would do subcontract in the interior or hire trading licences to do business in the market.
“The implications are enormous.”
Also present were PBS deputy president Datuk Dr Yee Moh Chai and Datin Vicky Yee, vice president Dr Joseph Lee and information chief cum Kiulu assemblyman Datuk Joniston Bangkuai.