KOTA KINABALU: People of Sabah need a Sabah Identity card (IC) as a protection against fake identification documents, said state former chief minister Datuk Yong Teck Lee.
This was after reports emerged of a suspected Abu Sayyaf member being detained in Manila for travelling from Kuala Lumpur with a Malaysian passport.
It was reported that the suspect is also linked to Jemaah Islamiah's activities and involved in kidnappings linked to Abu Sayyaf commander Radulan Sahiron.
The man, who went by the name "Omar bin Harun" on his Malaysian passport, arrived on May 10 at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila with his wife and two children.
"This proves once again that Malaysian citizenship and travel documents have been seriously compromised both within Malaysia and internationally.
"In view of the rampant abuse of the Malaysian MyKad system, it is highly likely that this latest case is only one of many more cases (of terrorists and other illegals bearing Malaysian citizenship and travel documents) that exist.
"Genuine, law-abiding Malaysians travelling with authentic documents might face more scrutiny when travelling to other countries because of the loss of integrity of Malaysian documents," said the nominated assemblyman in a statement.
In a separate statement, the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) president said that the Sabah IC proposal has been tabled in the State Legislative Assembly and the draft on Sabah IC Bill 2022 enactment has been completed.
"We will work so that the Sabah IC Bill 2022 enactment will be tabled in the State Legislative Assembly this year as well.
"Hopefully, Sabah IC will become a reality for the people of Sabah," he said.
The Sabah IC promotion tour, which started on May 11 concluded its marathon journey with a gathering at Dataran Deasoka here today.
The program, led by SAPP Youth Chief Jamain Sarudin was jointly organised by Sorak Sabah and SAPP.
Its first stop was in Penampang followed by Papar, Beaufort, Nabawan, Keningau, Tenom, Tambunan, Tawau, Lahad Datu, Sandakan, Telupid, Ranau, Kundasang, Kota Marudu, Kota Belud, Tuaran and Tamparuli. On the fifth day, the last stretch, in Kota Kinabalu.
Also present at the gathering were Yong and his deputy president Edward Dagul; Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR) vice president Feddrine Tuliang and treasurer-general Ardino Diris.