Warisan deputy president Darell Leiking and Sabah DAP secretary Phoong Jin Zhe said the issuance of these cards was no different to the Sabah temporary pass (PSS) that was proposed during the Pakatan Harapan-Warisan administration.
Former chief minister Shafie Apdal’s administration dropped the PSS following the party’s defeat to Barisan Nasional (BN) in the Kimanis by-election in January 2020. Warisan’s loss was largely attributed to the PSS issue.
Barisan Nasional and other local opposition parties at the time had played up the issue in the by-election, claiming it would lead to the granting of citizenship to illegal immigrants and that it was also a threat to the sovereignty of Sabah and the country.
Leiking said home minister Hamzah Zainudin, who is also Bersatu secretary-general, was merely trying to revive the PSS under a different name.
“This proposal sounds the same as the PSS put in place by Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin when he was home minister and which was opposed by many,” the Penampang MP told FMT.
“I wonder if the same people who made an issue of the PSS then would now object to this proposal, which is in effect the same thing but only with a different name.”
At a press conference in Putrajaya earlier today, Hamzah said the government is considering a proposal by the Sabah government to provide identity cards to foreign nationals in the state.
Hamzah said the identity cards do not give migrants citizenship or permanent resident status.
These cards would allow foreign nationals to work in Malaysia legally and their children to have access to social services, such as education, he added.
Phoong agreed with Leiking that this proposed identity card for foreign nationals was the same as the PSS proposed before.
“Its objective is the same as the PSS, which is to filter out undocumented migrants,” he said.
“I would like to see if those who had objected to the PSS before would now come forward and justify this new initiative as they are the ones in power now.
“If there is no difference and both are aimed at helping to filter and identify between undocumented migrants and locals, then Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) must apologise to Sabahans as they had misled the people on the PSS.”
He accused GRS of having politicised the PSS issue during the state elections in September 2020.