Control of people from S'wak and peninsula unnecessary: Harris
Published on: Monday, April 06, 2015
Kota Kinabalu: As a member of the Barisan Nasional government that practises collective responsibility for a long time, PBS is a party to the "mistakes" of the Federal Government, including the immigration issue of Labuan, said former Chief Minister Tan Sri Harris Salleh. "If PBS truly believes there is a mistake, it can start the ball rolling by (1) discussing the matter at its central committee; (2) if adopted, bring the issue to the Barisan Nasional central committee; and (3) if Barisan Nasional agrees and adopts the PBS' resolution, the matter can be brought to the Cabinet for consideration and later to Parliament. ADVERTISEMENT "This is the rule of democratic law," said Harris in a statement, Sunday.Responding to the statements by PBS and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) that he was wrong, Harris claimed that his statement on the issue of people coming to Kota Kinabalu from Labuan without any immigration control was based on what both the Parliament and the Sabah Legislative Assembly decided and legalised in 1984. "For Sabah, it was the decision of the government of the day. It is the rule of law under parliamentary democracy that Malaysia practises. Of course there are also other rules, some imaginary. It is uncertain which rule both PBS and PKR are referring to," he said.Harris stressed that in 1984, the then Berjaya government agreed with the Federal Government that visitors from Labuan need not produce their passports or identity cards when visiting Kota Kinabalu. ADVERTISEMENT "For that matter, the then Berjaya government also accorded the same privileges for those from Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia visiting Sabah. However, this was later changed," he said, without elaborating.Harris said it was pertinent to note that the number of people from Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia coming to Sabah to settle since 1963 was negligible.
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"Thus, the control of migration of people from Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia, politically speaking, is unnecessary especially when Malaysia is still under the process of nation-building," he said.He said there were always two sides to the coin and what was being presented now was just one side of the tainted coin. "The day will come when Labuan may also require any Sabahan coming to Labuan to present his or her identity card for a restricted stay of 30 days. "Based on the prevailing economic activities, Sabah contributes very little to Labuan. Tourists to Labuan are mostly from Brunei, Peninsular Malaysia and overseas. Thus, Labuan should have no qualms in imposing tit-for-tat arrangements for Sabahans visiting Labuan," he said.He said Sabah leaders must acknowledge that there were over 100,000 young Sabahans now working in Peninsular Malaysia. "It is easier for Sabah youngsters to find jobs (cari makan) in the peninsula than in Sabah. What is going to happen if states in Peninsular Malaysia start imposing immigration restrictions on Sabahans going to the peninsula?"Although Malaysians of all ages and ethnic groups can work in Singapore, it is reported that Singapore has banned Kadazans and Dayaks below the age of 35 years to work in Singapore, making it even tougher for the young to find jobs outside of their home states. "Why haven't the leaders of these ethnic groups find out from Singapore the reasons for the ban so that something can be done to address the problem," he said."Ironically, we nit-pick about protecting our State boundaries while the rest of the world is going borderless. Building on the premise that 'no man is an island' countries around the world have either removed border restrictions (as in the European Community) or in the process of doing so (as in Asean). When are we going to wake up to what is going on around us?" he asked.He was also perplexed by the PBS Secretary-General Datuk Johnny Mositun's contention that component party members of the Barisan Nasional were nowadays free to criticise and disagree with the decisions of the Federal and State Cabinets and also Parliament and the State Assembly. "This must be the world's most advanced political doctrine. Let's say that a decision by a component party is carried and conveyed by the party President to the Cabinet or Parliament where the decision is endorsed."Then many years later, out of the blue, the party's Secretary General can criticise and disagree with the decision taken. This is tantamount to a public proclamation of 'no confidence' in his President, the decision of the party's Central Committee, and the nation's highest policy bodies," he said.Lastly, Harris said PBS must accept that the withdrawal of 400,000 Yayasan Sabah Share Certificates, which was considered a mistake, is not the end of the matter. "Those holding the certificates can claim for compensation because it was a mistake by the PBS. Similarly, PBS as a government made a mistake by not alienating 930,600 acres to 60,000 landless Sabahans, and instead selling these lands to companies from the peninsula. "Worse still, PBS reportedly gave their lawyers 32,000 acres of timber land at Sinagang, Lahad Datu; the land was part of the 930,600 acres reserved for the 60,000 landless Sabahans. "The PBS lawyers – two brothers, Dominic and James Putuchery (one of them banned from entering Singapore at that time – reportedly sold the land for RM3 million. "We should remember that at this point of time the economy of Sabah will depend a lot on working the land for agriculture and creating occupations," he said.Stating that it was not his intention to prolong debates in the papers over past or present issues, Harris felt compelled to correct the misinterpretation and twisting of facts that seems so rampant. He said the younger generation deserves to know the truth and be made aware of what happened, especially in the past, so that they can better appreciate how their State developed into what it is today.As he anticipated that arguments would carry on because only one side of the coin is being highlighted, for the benefit of Sabahans, he said he is prepared to have a joint press conference with PBS and PKR on this issue or any other issue.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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Mositun had said that he believed it was not necessary to wait for an amendment to the Federal Territories Act to set up Immigration counters at Menumbok and Jesselton Point since immigration is under the purview of the State Government.Sabah PKR Deputy Chairperson Christina Liew, on the other hand, said the setting up of the immigration counters in Menumbok and Jesselton Point must be expedited to prevent undesirable elements from entering Sabah freely.