DAP to Pairin: Where's the report on illegals?
Published on: Sunday, January 08, 2017
Kota Kinabalu: Sabah DAP said Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan owes it to the people to reveal his committee's recommendations to the Government on the Royal Commission of Inquiry on Illegal Immigrants (RCI) report before he retires. Its Chairman Stephen Wong (pic) insisted that Pairin who heads the RCI technical committee cannot afford to put it off any longer as the immigrant issue continues to beg for a solution, especially in light of yet another Identity Card scandal in Tawau recently that shocked the public."He had promised the report to be ready in one year in 2015. Then in December 2015, he said it was not ready.
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He promised it would be in 2016. Now is already 2017, we have not seen any recommendations on how to tackle the PTI problem," he told a press conference, Saturday. He hoped Pairin will not just wash his hands on the matter now that he is retiring."Will he tell us what the latest situation is? Will he tell us if the committee still exists or not? He must be responsible," said Wong, who is also Member of Parliament for Sandakan.He said the arrest of 10 people in Tawau last month by the National Registration Department (NRD), including two masterminds over an identity card forgery syndicate should raise the alarm bells.
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"This thing is still going on. So what are they (State Government) going to do?" he asked. He reminded the State Government on the seriousness of the illegal immigrant issue because exploitation continues to happen at the expense of the security and wellbeing of local citizens.
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Sabah DAP secretary Chan Foong Hin added by saying that Pairin must leave a lasting legacy over an issue that he and his party have been fighting for over the past few decades. "I hope when he steps down, the RCI report will not go down with him," he quipped. Pairin has been heading the PBS since forming the party in 1985. During the party's first Supeme Council meeting on Friday, he handed the leadership reins to his deputy Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili.The Deputy Chief Minister had announced he will lead the party into the 14th general election, speculated to held this year, but will not defend his Tambunan state and Keningau parliamentary seats.Meanwhile, Sabah DAP also commented on the McDonald's policy to only allow halal-certified cakes into its premises, saying that the State Government should emulate Sarawak in rejecting it.Wong said such policy only harms and can destroy the racial and religious harmony that Sabah is long famous for. He thanked Sabah Special Tasks Minister Datuk Teo Chee Kang in making his stand against the policy but at the same time insisted he (Teo) should also seek a common stand in the State Cabinet.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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