- Wartawan Nabalu News
Special card for foreigners: Response by PBS and STAR an attempt to hide parties’ failure - Warisan
13 February 2022
By Wartawan Nabalu News
KOTA KINABALU: Three supreme council members of Parti Warisan criticised the responses from PBS and STAR on the Home Minister, Hamzah Zainuddin’s announcement that the Sabah State Government plans to issue an identification document to long-residing foreigners in the State.
They said the Secretary-General of PBS, Datuk Joniston Bangkuai and STAR President, Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan gave their response in an attempt to hide both their parties’ failure to deliver.
According to Majamis Timbong of Kota Marudu, PBS had failed to deliver what it had projected into the minds of the KDM communities in relation to the illegal immigrants problem because of its waning political influence and enthusiasm to pursue the matter vigorously at the State and Federal levels.
“To put this in perspective, PBS President, Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili had proposed the setting up of an inter-party committee last December, repeated by Joniston on January and again by him recently and I am very sure that PBS has discussed the proposal with its fellow GRS component parties and even with the Federal Cabinet Ministers but why is it that nobody is listening to them (PBS)?
“Perhaps realising that it doesn’t have the political influence or clout to enable the party to deliver what it had been promising the KDM communities, PBS has now unashamedly proposed the setting up of a bi-partisan committee in the State Legislative Assembly which I believe is nothing more than political manipulation to put pressure on the Federal Government. This move is merely to benefit PBS and also ease the issue of reliability on the party which it is now facing.
"And should the bi-partisan committee comes out with a conclusive stand and is agreed upon by Federal, PBS as usual, will spout its appreciation lavishly on their Malayan political masters with the hope of getting a pat on the back. Just look at the amendment to the Federal Constitution that Warisan and other opposition MPs have supported and for which Ongkili heaped endless praises to former Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yasin and Prime Minister Datuk Ismail Sabri instead of thanking the hundred thousands of passionate Sabahans who have been fighting for Sabah’s rights for more than a decade,” he said in a statement today.
Another supreme council member, Datuk Honorsius Joe Bosuin from Penampang said that it is amusing to see Kitingan who is the Deputy Chief Minister airing his opinions to the media on the proposal made by the State Government as if he (Kitingan) doesn’t know anything about it.
“I advise Kitingan to stop manipulating the truth and to refer to his Perikatan Nasional (PN) Chairman, Muhyiddin for the latter’s assurance that PSS was not at all a path towards securing citizenship when Muhyiddin proposed it as the Home Minister in 2019.
"Surely as the Deputy Chief Minister, Kitingan should have known about the proposal much earlier but perhaps for the sake of retaining his post, he has chosen to be quiet and instead gave another review of the long-buried PSS to divert the people’s attention from the controversial Nature Conservation Agreement (NCA).
"Sabahans don’t want his opinion on how the illegal immigrants issue should be addressed or another review of the PSS. What they want from Kitingan who now assumes the post of DCM and having all the necessary political power and intelligence is to start delivering what he has been telling Sabahans about the illegal immigrants in the State.
"If Kitingan thinks he has a lot of ideas and is more keen on sharing his opinions instead of delivering them, then I advise him to resign and allow other young GRS KDM leaders to take over his ministerial post while he S himself as the No. 1 advisor to the State Government or become a paid tabloid columnist so he can continue giving his weekly opinions to us,” he said.
Meanwhile, a supreme council member from Ranau, Dr Julian Sidin said that the speculation made by some quarters that the announcement by Hamzah could very well be an attempt to divert attention from the controversial NCA may be true more so now that a report had already been lodged to the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) by the Secretary-General of Warisan, Datuk Loretto Padua Jr.
“The speculation could be true considering that the General Election is said going to be held very soon and if you compare both issues from a political viewpoint, the announcement by the Home Minister is merely a proposal that can be scrapped anytime whereas NCA is much more serious and could cause political ramifications for GRS.
"Whether the speculation is correct or otherwise, what Sabahans should remember is that when PBS and STAR were the opposition some 24 months ago, both parties were very firm in their stance that illegal immigrants must be detained and deported while rejecting any regularisation exercise. Now that both parties are in power, the that fervour is no longer heard nor seen,” he said.
