Usno Baru 'no' to recalling MyKads
Published on: Friday, February 23, 2018
Kota Kinabalu: Usno Baru opposes the call by Upko and PBS for the recall and reissuance of MyKads in Sabah, claiming there is no evidence of the document being illegally issued to non-citizens to merit such exercise.Hence, it viewed the call by the two Barisan Nasional component parties as nothing more than a political gimmick with elections imminent, adding that their allegations about illegal issuance of MyKads undermine the authority of the Government.Its protem deputy president Kusugan Ali suggested that these parties focus on other issues in their own backyard rather than "bark" about the MyKad as it could hurt the feelings of other races, especially the Suluks in Sabah.
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"Upko and PBS, or for that matter, those leaders who are making allegations from time to time that MyKads in Sabah are not properly or legally issued are just (out) to undermine the Government. These calls are political (as they) did not provide any evidence," said Kusugan, when handing his statement to Daily Express, Thursday.The Banggi resident was responding to the calls by Upko Youth Chief Arthur Tsen and PBS Secretary-General Datuk Johnny Mositun. Both Arthur and Johnny were responding to the order issued by Deputy Prime Minister Dato Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to Immigration Department Director-General to station officers at airports in Sabah to randomly scan identity cards to prevent anyone flying to Peninsular Malaysia using fake ones.
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Upko Youth repeated its call on the Federal Government to recall all Malaysian identity cards in Sabah and re-issue new ones as the only way to once and for all resolve the long-standing issue.He said the main concern of Sabahans is not just outsiders obtaining fake documents to travel to Peninsular Malaysia through Sabah, but the more terrifying large population of them who are already here and bearing children.
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He said while Ahmad Zahid's order for random scanning in airports is welcome, it would not be enough to provide total solution in view of the huge presence of illegal immigrants in the state and its long coastline easily encroached.He said the order issued by Ahmad Zahid, who is also Home Minister, proved fake identity card syndicates exist, a fact also mentioned by the Royal Commission of Inquiry on Illegal Immigrants in Sabah.Johnny, on the other hand, proposed the scanning exercise be conducted nationwide instead of just at entry and exit points in view of many cases of fake MyKads being used by foreigners to pass themselves off as Malaysians. He also said PBS had been requesting that all identity cards issued in Sabah be urgently recalled and reissued in order to weed out dubious ones.However, Kusugan said there is no conclusive evidence of illegal issuance of identity cards in the state "and therefore, the Federal Government should not heed the calls by Upko and PBS.""Besides, the exercise to reissue MyKads or replace of MyKad will cost a few hundred million ringgit," he argued and urged Upko and PBS to focus on other issues instead."There are many issues in the papers such as the loss of more than four billion ringgit of development funds through scandals and corruption. Most importantly, (issue of) poverty in rural Penampang and Tambunan where both Upko and PBS have their establishments, just to name a few," said Kusungan.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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