YONG: Government missed out the real source of illegals issue

KOTA KINABALU - The three-prong measures to curb illegal immigration announced by the Deputy Prime minister cum Home Affairs Minister during his latest visit to Sabah sadly has again missed out the critical issue of the "export" of illegals from the Philippines to Sabah, says Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) president Datuk Seri Panglima Yong Teck Lee.

He said the Deputy Prime Minister who listed the three-prong strategy as enforcement, guarding the maritime borders and resolving the dubious documents issued to unqualified immigrants in Sabah has completely missed out the fact that the source of the security woes and illegal immigration into Sabah is in the Philippines.

"If the source of the problems is not fixed, then our preventive actions are not sustainable," Yong said.

Yong, a former Sabah Chief Minister told that Malaysia should take advantage of the election of the first ever President of the Philippines who hail from the Southern Philippines of Mindanao who is known to be tough on crime, including unrelenting military campaign against the Abu Sayyaf bandits.

"He is also known to have the confidence of disenfranchised groups including BangsaMoros such the MNLF and the peasant farmers in other parts of the Philippines.
"Against this backdrop of a new era in the Philippines, Malaysia should consider re-setting our relationship with the Philippines with a clear view to solve once and for all the security and illegal immigration problems that have burdened Sabah for the last 40 years.

"We should not lose sight of the fact that the security of Sabah in Malaysia is the single most important promise of the formation of Malaysia back in 1963," said Yong.