PBS information chief Joniston Bangkuai said he found it baffling for the Labuk representative to all of a sudden change his tune, since switching allegiance to Warisan, as Rahman was considered a staunch opponent of the citizenship drive before.
“When he was in PBS, he had on numerous occasions cast suspicion on the documentation exercise of illegal immigrants in Sabah.
“He would also remind members in his division to be consistent in the fight against illegal immigrants.
“It is rather convenient for Rahman to now suddenly deny any suspicion on his part of any citizenship drive by Warisan. I would like to remind him not to be just a puppet to Warisan for short-term gain
“A true leader would stand his ground and not be a lapdog spokesperson just because he has leapt to a different party. I guess, for some, it is easy for principles to waver when they switch parties and allegiance,” he said.
Rahman, who defected to Warisan last month, had yesterday accused the opposition of “wildly suggesting” that the state government had caused a recent spate of fires in squatter colonies in order to issue citizenship papers to illegal immigrants.
Rahman, who was previously part of PBS’ committee to address the problem of illegal immigrants in Sabah, said PBS had no evidence to back up its allegation.
Bangkuai refuted Rahman’s accusations, saying PBS was only reacting to public complaints all this while.
He said PBS had been compiling reports on illegal immigrants and irregular activities related to the issue, which are often highlighted by locals in the state.
“So, do enlighten me, is Rahman saying that the people are liars? Are you accusing the people of spreading rumours? Is it wrong for us in PBS to be the voice of the people?”
He noted that the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Illegal Immigrants in 2012 had established that the squatter colonies in Sabah are mainly occupied by illegal immigrants.
Bangkuai said while it was true that Rahman had previously sat in the party’s illegal immigrants bureau, the latter was not in a position to speak on the issue as he had never attended any of the meetings.
He said PBS stands by its belief that there is a systematic move to grant Malaysian documents, and eventually citizenship, to illegal immigrants, based on a series of decisions the Warisan-led state government had taken.
This included granting a three-year renewable Sabah Temporary Pass (PSS) to foreigners, he added.
Meanwhile, Bangkuai said PBS was not in a position to carry out an official investigation on issues pertaining to illegal immigrants, hence the calls to the police and the National Registration Department (JPN) to do their jobs.
“Our focus was mainly to highlight the people’s concerns and worries. The JPN has of course refuted our claims, but that is understandable.
“But we are dissatisfied with their explanation, as PBS president Maximus Ongkili has stated previously. PBS finds it difficult to trust the JPN.”
He added that even former state federal special task force director Abu Talib Harun had stated that the large number of illegal immigrants in Sabah was at an alarming figure back in 1999.
Rahman had said the PBS bureau on illegal immigrants had met state JPN director Ismail Ahmad after claims were made that the fires at squatter settlements were a ruse by the state government to issue documents to illegal immigrants.
Rahman said he was satisfied with Ismail’s assurance that this was not the case.