Rahman Dahlan chides Warisan’s Azis for not looking after Sabah’s interest despite holding Cabinet post

An Umno supreme council member from Sabah has hit out at Parti Warisan Sabah Wira’s Youth chief Datuk Azis Jamman for not looking after Sabah’s interest despite holding a post in the Federal Government.

Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Dahlan said that Azis should question “Azis Jamman, the Deputy Home Minister” on the Federal Government’s decision to issue Sabah Temporary Pass to foreign nationals if he truly wants to protect the state’s interests.

Rahman said as a Sabah leader, Azis should question “the deputy minister” why it has been decided that Sabah Temporary Pass (PSS) holders are prohibited from entering Peninsular Malaysia.

“He should question why the document is not recognised in the peninsula when the PSS is a legal document issued by the Federal Government and the Home Ministry.

“If Azis, as the head of Warisan wira wing, is fighting for Sabah’s interests, he should get the deputy home minister (himself) to admit that by not allowing PSS holders to enter Peninsular Malaysia, the ministry acknowledges the risks that their presence have,” he said in his Facebook posting on Tuesday (Jan 14).

Recently, Home Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, when in Kimanis, had said that PSS holders would not have the same rights as citizens and their movements were limited to Sabah.

Rahman said Azis should point out to the Federal Government that Sabah is part of Malaysia and that documents issued under federal laws, including the PSS should be valid nationwide and not just in the state.

He added that Azis should remind himself that the issue of illegal immigrants was a national issue and not just a matter that needs to be addressed in Sabah.

The Home Ministry has assured that the issuance of PSS beginning June 1 will not alter the status of the pass holders or serve as a “passport” for gaining citizenship.

The PSS is aimed at standardising the various documents held by foreigners in Sabah, namely IMM13, Kad Burung-Burung and Sijil Banci issued by three different agencies.

The IMM13 were issued to refugees in the 1970s under the UNHCR while Kad Burung-Burung and Sijil Bancian were issued by the then state government after a census on the transient migrants in the state was conducted.

The Star