DEPUTY Chief Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan said he is open to all proposals on how to best deal with the perennial issue of undocumented foreign workers in Sabah.
“I don’t mind if you make a lot of recommendations; in fact, the more the merrier. It’s great to have a lot of ideas,” said the head of Sabah’s newly formed Special Committee on Undocumented Foreign Workers and Foreign Nationals.
“But we need to put them all together and see which combination works,” he said, after officiating the “Belia Prihatin Alam Sekitar: We Be-Leaf Together” programme at Tabika Perpaduan Taman Jumbo.
Kitingan was commenting on input by several former chief ministers, with the exception of former chief ministers Tan Sri Chong Kah Kiat and Tan Sri Musa Aman, on addressing the problem.
Only Chong had dealt with the problem head-on by enlisting the help of the army and police to demolish all illegal settlements during his two-year term as CM, resulting in hundreds of thousands being deported.
It resulted in a drastic reduction in crime as well as water and electricity thefts. The former CMs who have proposed suggestions so far have been Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan, Tan Sri Harris Mohd Salleh, Tan Sri Bernard Dompok and Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee.
Harris proposed a referendum be held on whether illegal workers in Sabah should be given a specific card or document, while Bernard proposed the formation of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Pairin advocated for the deportation of undocumented immigrants while Yong said whatever card that the government planned to issue long-staying illegals should not have any legal status that could make them eligible for citizenship
“Of course, now everyone says this and that,” Kitingan said, “but at the end of the day, why don’t we sit down and come up with the best solution?”
Reiterating his expectation to have a preliminary report finished within three months, particularly in terms of data on foreign workers, Kitingan said: “After we get the preliminary report, we’ll start working on a solution. I’ve set a three-month deadline for myself to come up with something that we can use to move forward with the answer.
“I believe that the first priority is to enforce the law. We have to solve it based on our needs, our economic demands, and so on,” he said, lamenting the lack of comprehensive data on foreign workers in the State.
“We need this exercise, and I need everyone’s help because this is a community problem, not just a government one. It’s also a problem for foreigners because we don’t want them to be exploited.”
“So far, there’s a little bit of data here, a little bit of data there,” he said, adding that his immediate focus will be on foreign workers.
He said there are many setbacks, “but I don’t view them as setbacks; I see them as concerns; those noises are concerns for a solution.
“I hope that when given the opportunity to join together, to present and discuss rationally, everyone will come together and agree, not to go out in public and say something different.
“That’s something I don’t want to happen. Once we come up with a solution, we stick to it because this isn’t just one person’s problem; it’s everyone’s,” he said.
He also said that over the three-month period required to obtain a preliminary report, he will meet with all stakeholders, including legislators, law enforcement, employers, non-governmental organisations, community leaders and political figures on both sides.
“I’ll meet with politicians who, although sometimes making a lot of noise, will be part of the answer. I’m hoping to obtain a preliminary report within the next three months so we can finalise a solution,” said Kitingan.
He also said that comparing the current proposal to issue Special Cards to foreigners who had resided in Sabah for a long time to the Pas Sementara Sabah offered by the Warisan Government administration was unfair.
