Musa, during the state assembly sitting question and answer session said: “We are waiting for the RCI’s recommendations and together with the federal government, will consider the recommendations before implementing them.”
He said this in reply to Tamparuli assemblyman Datuk Seri Panglima Wilfred M Bumburing’s question on whether the government would take action towards resolving the problems of illegal immigrants in the state after the RCI hearing concludes.
Bumburing, who is Angkatan Perubahan Sabah (APS) president, said the number of illegal immigrants deported by the government was minimal compared to the number of the migrants that were said to be in the state.
“During the RCI hearing, it was revealed that there were many immigrants without valid documents in Sabah. So my question is whether the state government will continue with its efforts to address the issue,” Bumburing said.
Musa gave Bumburing his assurance that the steps taken to address were continuous and were not ‘seasonal’.
“This is why the state security council receives weekly reports from all the agencies involved so that the government knows how many illegal immigrants are in Sabah,” he said.
Musa added that at the moment there were more than 2,000 foreigners detained by Sabah authorities and most of them were Filipinos.
“I must admit that we have a problem as we do not have a Filipino consulate in Sabah. We have requested the Philippine government set one up in Sabah so that it would be easier to discuss issues affecting their citizens and also to expedite the process of repatriating them.
“But the Philippine government has yet to give us a favorable reply, resulting in the delay in the repatriation of detained Filipinos from Sabah as they do not have the necessary documents.
“This is because the Philippine government will only accept Filipinos with identification or travel documents … this is what is causing us difficulties,” Musa said.
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