Special card for long-residing foreign nationals in Sabah - Hamzah

Describing this suggestion made by the Sabah government as good, he said the card would enable the authorities to ascertain the number of foreign nationals present in the state.

"The problem in Sabah is complex. Many (foreigners) have been staying long in Sabah, for example, until the second or third generation of them and we know that they don't have any identification documents at all.

"Therefore, we want to coordinate this by issuing the special card for these foreigners,

"What is important is knowing the extent of their presence in the country. They need to have an identification document and for us to know that they are foreign nationals."

Hamzah said this to the media after chairing the first Sabah Foreign Nationals Management Main Committee Meeting (JKPWAS-INDUK) 2022 with Chief Minster Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, here, today.

Asked on the number of foreign nationals to be given the card, Hamzah said data would be gathered to ascertain their number in Sabah.

"Perhaps this card can be issued within the next three months. We give them this special card, not a citizen card....it will be clearly stated on the card," he said, adding that with it, they might be able to get a job and given a worker's card.

"We are doing this for a humanitarian cause as they are also citizens of the world and as such, we should be giving them an identification document.

Hamzah also said that the JKPWAS-INDUK meeting today agreed that the enforcement be made through concerted operations coordinated by the National Security Council (MKN), Sabah and to be intensified to stop the influx of illegal immigrants into Sabah.

Meanwhile, on the proposed resettlement of the Pala'u community, he said the matter would be studied further at the officials' level through a working committee, from the policy and legal aspects.

Hamzah said the JKPWAS-INDUK meeting also agreed to consider the facilities specifically meant for Sabah to ensure the state's development would not be adversely affected but continue to be rapid.

On the issue of late registration of births in Sabah, Hamzah said amendments to the Registration of Birth and Death Ordinance (Sabah Cap. 123) were being studied at the final level to consider extending the birth registration period from 42 days to 90.

"The issue of delayed repatriation of detainees from the immigration detention depots in Sabah is also being studied and discussed with the relevant embassies," he added.