KUALA LUMPUR: The Senior Minister for the Security Cluster, Datuk Seri Sabri Ismail should be commended for stating the obvious in defending the actions of the Government in arresting the illegal immigrants and foreigners without documentation on May Day to protect the country and Malaysians from illegals.
Jalumin Bayogoh, Deputy President of Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STARSabah) said this in a press statement in support of the actions taken by the security forces in screening and rounding up the undocumented foreigners and illegal immigrants.
After the hue and cry raised by concerned citizens and netizens from all walks of life, race and religion against the threats and demands of the Rohingya illegals, it was a welcome move to swoop and detain them, he said.
According to him, to Sabahans especially, the arrests and detention of the illegals and its justification by the Senior Minister was more than well received.
“But at the same time, they questioned why no such action was taken in Sabah and the silence of the Sabah government which is perceived by genuine Sabahans to be protecting and prioritizing illegals and foreigners without documents,” he stated.
The comparison was even highlighted in the distribution of food baskets by the Sabah government to the foreigners in their places and that given to genuine Sabahans which were viralled with videos and photographs, according to him.
“The Warisan government and their leaders were widely criticized with stories of local natives in the interior Sabah said to receive only three (3) “put” of rice compared to 5-kilos and 10-kilos bags of rice and bags full of other goodies for the foreigners as seen in videos and photographs of boats ferrying them to the islands.”
“It needs to be highlighted that the arrests of the illegals had come on the heels of the earlier actions by the security and maritime forces that had prevented boat-loads of Rohingya people from landing in Langkawi, Kedah, and the success in preventing illegal immigrants from being brought in by irresponsible parties in the east coast of Sabah.”
The actions of the present Federal Government appears to have departed from the actions of the previous two (2) administrations which were marked by wanton issuance of dubious ICs and MyKads to illegal immigrants especially in Sabah and the buying of ICs by foreigners, notably in Penang, he opined.
“In addition, little action was taken against most of the culprits or the foreigners holding dubious ICs which were enrolled into the electoral rolls.”
There was also no concerted effort to investigate deeper into the people and syndicates behind the issuance of the illegal ICs and to weed out these illegal IC-holders, he said, adding that almost all of them remain as voters in the Election Commission’s electoral rolls.
These illegal foreigners and immigrants are a genuine threat to the security and sovereignty of Malaysia.
” The Government should not take the threats of the Rohingyas as seen in their viralled videos or the militants from Southern Philippines as seen in a recent video in which many Filipino soldiers were ambushed and killed by the militants.”
In many voting districts in Sabah, it is the votes of the illegal immigrants wrongfully given ICs and registered as voters that are determining the future of genuine Sabahans.
Jalumin went on to say the problem is not confined to security and sovereignty issues alone.
“The illegals are a burden and drain on our national resources and revenues, more so during this economic downturn arising from the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic. In Sabah alone, the unpaid bills for health services owed by the illegal immigrants run into tens of million ringgit, which could have been better used for real Malaysians.”
It is hoped, especially by genuine Malaysians in Sabah, that the present Government will prioritize the sovereignty of the nation and the welfare and legitimate expectations of genuine Malaysians, he stressed.
“It is time for whatever wrongs that have been committed by the previous two (2) governments to be rectified and actions taken and not to be repeated to protect the security and sovereignty of the nation and the interests of genuine Malaysians.”- pr/BNN
