Saturday 10 December 2011

SHOULD ACT AGAINST ALONGS AND ILLEGALS



THE STATE authorities should take action against the alongs from other states or for that matter illegal immigrants from coming into Sabah.

Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) Youth Chief Edward Dagul said the latest debacle in the barring of Haris Ibrahim, President of MCLM, from entering Sabah had made many people ponder on the priorities of the authorities.

"Wouldn’t it be more beneficial for the people of Sabah if the relevant authorities, namely the Immigration department stop Ah Longs operatives from other states coming to Sabah?

"Or for that matter, to stop the influx of illegal immigrants entering the State?," he said in a statement here.

Edward said the reports in the local newspaper Daily Express yesterday had confirmed what SAPP had feared. It was reported that three money lending premises were being probed by police.

He said SAPP had warned against the extension of the Money Lending Act 1951 in 2008 which arbitrarily replaced the Sabah Money Lenders Ordinance.

The authorities then had claimed that the extension of the Money Lenders Act would enable them (the authorities) to be able to tackle unhealthy lending activities, loan sharks etc. but what was reported in the local news suggests otherwise.

To many, if not all, in Sabah, the problems of Ah Longs and PATIs, are matters of State security.

These directly threaten the livelihood of the rakyat and should be accorded top priorities whereas the barring of an NGO activist from entering Sabah under the lame excuse of State security is nothing more than a shameful act of political cowardice.

Haris Ibrahim is a well known, respected civil liberty activist whose Bersih and MCLM roles have received wide acclaim. There is no basis for barring him from the State. He was a guest at SabahTV.net and as such, we will continue to welcome him.

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