Pairin recommends special IC
| Wednesday - February 11th, 2015
Zahid (second left) handing over the letter of appointment to Pairin during the meeting yesterday.
While the idea of a special identification card for local Sabahans was not new, having previously been brought up by politicians from both the ruling and opposition parties, Pairin said the re-registration of Sabahans would stress on filtering immigrants illegals and those with refugee status, from locals.
We need to distinguish between locals and immigrants, which then get narrowed down to separating between refugees and illegal immigrants, and those without valid working passes or passports. These are the ones that we want deported, he said.
Pairin was speaking to reporters after a meeting with Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi at the Le Meridien here yesterday, where Pairin received the official letter of appointment as the chairman of the working committee.
The committees first meeting after receiving the long-awaited official letter of appointment will be on February 17.
Pairin, however, said the committee had met with senior officers of the Home Ministry on January 8 to discuss on matters pertaining to the issue.
One of the ideas proposed by the committee, he said, was to allow and take into consideration the ideas and suggestions put out by all parties, including politicians, NGOs and the public at large.
I have yet to receive any (suggestions or ideas) since I made that proposal, but I have been gathering relevant news extracts and statements from all parties, be they political or NGOs. We will take all these into account for more in-depth discussions on the matter, he said.
Pairin disclosed that the committees secretariat would be based at the Chief Ministers Department, as that is where the State Secretary, who has been appointed as one of the main secretaries, is based.
A draft cover and content framework of the report for the committees meeting had been outlined, but will continuously make space for additional ideas hoped to be obtained from various parties through discussions.
We have taken the initial steps needed to ensure that the Terms of Reference (TOR) of the RCI on illegal immigrants are realised. This is how serious the government is in solving the issue (of illegal immigrants) in the state, he said.
Pairin stressed that the enforcement of laws above the cooperation of all parties is the most important in determining the results of the action plan lined out by the committee.
We have existing immigration laws embedded within the Constitution, so we want enforcers to enforce their duties, he stressed.
Pairin said the plan would be a continuous effort, encouraging contribution of ideas from all parties.
Anybody who wishes to be involved, directly or indirectly, we welcome any ideas or suggestions with good intentions, he said.
Accepting a statement recently by the director-general of Immigration on the call to eradicate illegal immigrants by 2020 as a responsibility, Pairin considered it a good sign of commitment on the part of the Immigration Department.
He added that the issue of stateless children would also be included in the action plan of the working committee, although ultimately, it would involve enforcement of international law.
Yes, it will be included because it is also the result of the illegal immigrants issue in the first place. International laws will need to be enforced, in a way that the nationality of a child is determined by the nationality of his or her father, he said, adding that no detailed information was currently available until the committees next meeting on February 17.
Pairin also mooted a one-stop detention centre to overcome the problems of currently having scattered detention centres in the state.
Asked whether he felt the idea of an illegal immigrant-free state by 2020 achievable, Pairin admitted the complexity of the issue rendering the mission challenging.
Its a very complex issue. However, I appreciate the commitment that had been shown and we all need to work hard to accomplish the mission.
If there is something that we need to do to ensure that our state is free from illegal immigrants in two years, that will be great but everybody needs to move towards that direction to help overcome the issue.
We know it wont be easy but with the appointment, I have been given the trust, and I will do my best to achieve the target, he said.
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