PENAMPANG: Sabah Chief Minister has the absolute power to enforce state immigration law and resolve related issues, Parti Kerjasama Anak Negeri president Datuk Henrynus Amin said.
However, it would all depend on the political will to do so.
“Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal used his power to stop all incoming flights from China into Sabah (and ban those with history of travelling within two weeks before entering Sabah) following the outbreak of Covid-19.
“He is very powerful under immigration law. If he could do that, we can also do something about illegal immigrants in Sabah,” Henrynus said during a forum on Refugees and Illegal Immigrants here.
Acknowledging that while mass deportation of illegal immigrants requires humanitarian considerations, Henrynus said that all foreigners ought to have passports or working passes to stay in the state.
He said that the Philippines government should also consider setting up a consulate at the borders of Sabah or appoint an agency to assist their citizens who genuinely look for jobs in the state.
To date, there are no Philippines consulate offices in Sabah as the republic remains adamant on its territorial claims on the state.
“The number of illegal immigrants has soared from 35,000 in the 1970s to 1.1 million today. When will it end?
“To locals, the issue is a threat to political stability, racial harmony, security and sovereignty,” Henrynus said, adding that the opposition political party had aimed to pressure the government on the matter.
He also proposed for another solution to the issue, which involved relocating the 500,000 IMM13 holders to the peninsula to remain under federal jurisdiction.
“Since they (Home Ministry) allowed the entry of immigrants (war refugees that hold IMM13 documents), some should also go to the other side to reduce the tension in Sabah.
“Sabah can only handle 100,000 out of 600,000 IMM13 holders,” he said.