KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Dr Jeffery Kitingan congratulated the Federal government for implementing immediately the arresting of illegal immigrants after expiry of the Back for Good (B4G) program as well as deferring the withdrawal of the petrol subsidy program, both on 1st January.
Jeffrey who is the Member of Parliament for Keningau and Assemblyman for Tambunan said this in a press statement released today
The Immigration Director-General had reported that 195,471 illegals were registered under the B4G amnesty program and that about 165,040 illegal immigrants had returned to their home countries, he said.
“He then led a crackdown operation in Putrajaya and Puchong of which 124 operations were conducted nation-wide on new year’s day. The operations resulted in 474 arrests in the first 24 hours of the new year after the expiry of the B4G program on 31 December 2019.”
Sadly, for Sabahans, the B4G program was not extended to Sabah as the Federal and Sabah governments had different ideas to keep and legalise the illegal immigrants in Sabah with the issuance of the PSS from 1st June 2020, he said.
“As a result of the double standards, the illegals in Sabah had the good fortune, unlike the illegals in Malaya, to enjoy the first 24 hours of the new year and freedom from arrests forever,” he said.
“What an irony the double standards exercised by the Federal and Sabah governments has created. It makes no sense to disallow illegals in Malaya but not in Sabah and then welcome them with open arms and PSS in Sabah especially when the Philippines government is willing to accept the return of their nationals” lamented Dr. Jeffrey.
The Sabah government has a lot of answering to Sabahans and concerned Malaysians why they did not insist on the B4G program to be implemented in Sabah, according to him.
He added they are also answerable as well for not making the PSS program to be a Pas Sementara Malaysia (PSM) where all the illegals in Sabah can be sent to and distributed in Putrajaya and Kuala Lumpur and the other 11 States in Malaya.
At the same time, the Federal government announced the deferment of the withdrawal of the petrol subsidy program which was to commence from 1st January with petrol prices to increase 1 or 2 sen every week, he stressed.
“As a result, Malaysians were spared another round of price increases and inflation arising from the “free float” of petrol prices and increase in prices.”
Just like the petrol subsidy program which received widespread objections from Malaysians, there is widespread objections from Sabahans to the PSS program, he said.
“If the Federal government can listen to the voices of Malaysians on the petrol subsidy program and defer its implementation, there is no reason for the Federal and Sabah governments not to listen to the objections of Sabahans and concerned Malaysians and defer the PSS program.”
The Federal and Sabah governments should seriously consider calling off the PSS program and allow time for all stakeholders to re-look at viable solutions. In the meantime, they should implement the laws applicable on illegals and protect the sovereignty and security of Malaysia and Sabah before it is too late, he stated.-pr/BNN
