KOTA KINABALU: The issuance of the Sabah Provisional Pass (PSS) from June next year (2020) is evidence of the seriousness of the government in addressing the problem of illegal immigrants (PTI) in Sabah, according to Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal.
He said although the illegal immigrant issue in Sabah was complex and needed to be resolved in stages, the introduction of PSS into three categories for document holders, was the first step towards addressing the problem which was often a concern of the locals.
The three categories are IMM13, Kad Burung-Burung dan Sijil Banci.
Mohd Shafie said the move to issue the PSS was among matters detailed at the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on illegal immigrants in Sabah in relation to various documents issued by the authorities to foreigners.
“Therefore, with such coordination (documents for foreigners), we want to make sure that they are managed and controlled by (only) the Sabah Immigration Department.
“The government sees this as a serious matter that needs to be addressed in our country,“ he said after the Management Committee Meeting On Foreigners in Sabah, here today.
The meeting was jointly chaired by Mohd Shafie and Home Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. Also present was State Secretary Datuk Hashim Paijan.
The meeting, among others, agreed to issue the PSS to increase enforcement and to ensure that the records of foreigners in Sabah were centralised and standardised.
The PSS is issued to foreigners who have any of the three documents and who have long lived in Sabah and each document is valid for only three years
Mohd Shafie said the coordination of foreign documents through the PSS was also important as 586,367 illegal immigrants were expelled from Sabah from 1990 to Sept 4, 2019.
Meanwhile, Mohd Shafie said the three types of identification documents would be eventually abolished, adding that he wanted all foreigners who came to Sabah to have valid documents.
This is an important step towards ensuring that the plantation sector in Sabah had adequate workforce as many plantation owners have said that they had a shortage of workers. - Bernama
