KOTA KINABALU: Upko Youth urged the government to revisit the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on illegal immigrants in Sabah Report and take over from where its predecessor left off.
Its chief Felix Joseph Saang said the recommendations must be implemented quickly in view of the recent arrest of three individuals, including a National Registration Department (NRD) officer for involvement in giving illegals identification document through falsified information in Semporna.
“Upko Youth view this seriously as it involves our national security and sovereignty,” he said in a statement here.
Felix who is also Upko Beluran chief, said that the present government-of-the-day should reactivate the high-powered committee to look into the illegal immigrants issue in Sabah that was set up by the previous government.
The committee, which was one of the recommendations of the RCI Report was jointly-chaired by the Home Minister and Sabah Chief Minister.
At the same time, a working committee was also set up to look into the implementation of the various recommendations in the RCI Report, he said.
However, Felix said the previous government did not really pursue the matter until it was replaced in the 14th General Election.
“Therefore, we believe it is up to the present government to carry out the recommendations of the RCI.
“It is time that the Federal and State governments to show that we really mean business in resolving the problem that has been bugging the people of Sabah for so long,” he said.
At the same time, he said the automatic registration of voters would not work in Sabah due to the unique problem of ‘fake’ citizens.