KOTA KINABALU: The Home Ministry has refuted allegations that it distributed forms for the issuance of identity cards and the granting of citizenship for illegal immigrants in Sabah.
Its deputy minister Datuk Mohd Azis Jamman said that the claim was made simply to tarnish the reputation of Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan) and leaders in the state.
“The forms which were meant to gather information from immigrants were issued by other parties, (which received no approval from me as) deputy Home Minister.
“I have since instructed the police to investigate the case and we will arrest those who are (responsible for the spreading the allegation,” he said, adding that the opposition has been claiming that Warisan is a “breeder” of illegal immigrants.
Mohd Azis was speaking to the media after the conclusion of the ‘Ops Mega’ operation by the Immigration Department today.
In the operation involving 80 personnel here, 58 Filipinos with no valid identity documents were nabbed.
On another matter, Mohd Azis said that he hopes the federal government will consider increasing allocations for the Eastern Sabah Security Command in the upcoming 2019 Budget announcement.
He said that Sabah waters are sizable, and it is not easy for security personnel to monitor each and every part of the ocean.
“I am hoping that the government will look into this. We should not compromise on security issues, as (an incident) could happen at any time,” he added.