KOTA KINABALU: Before the massive immigrant crackdown began in Sabah last week, touts roamed the boardwalk in Kampung Air bellowing, "4D results! 4D results!" and in downtown Sinsuran, cigarette peddlers openly displayed their goods on the sidewalk.
| Pulau Gaya's Kampung Pondo, a squatter colony occupied by illegal immigrants is an eyesore in the heart of Kota Kinabalu. |
But unlike Ops Nyah II, this is the first statewide operation carried out by federal agencies, said deputy city police chief Rowell Marong.
Though the state government has ratcheted up arrests in scores of raids over the last six years, the numbers deported are still dwarfed by the large number of undocumented immigrants in the workforce. By 2005, "non-citizens" made up almost a quarter of the state's population.
Human Rights Commission of Malaysia vice-chairman Tan Sri Simon Sipaun believes they are the main cause of Sabah's soaring population, which was projected to grow to 1.4 million in 2004, extrapolated from yearly population growth trends. The population actually rose to 3.3 million that year, more than double the forecast figure.
"Almost all the children in the streets are children of immigrants," said Marong.
Sabah Institute for Development Studies executive director Datuk Dr Mohd Yaakub Johari said the influx of immigrants puts a strain on public services such as schools and clinics.
Sabah already lags behind Peninsular Malaysia in these areas. In 2000, for example, only about 87 per cent of 15- to 24-year-olds in Sabah were literate, compared with about 97 per cent in the peninsula (UNDP Sabah Human Development Index).
In the past, children needed only their birth certificates to be eligible for enrolment into primary schools.
Immigrant children who were born in Malaysia were issued with birth certificates, which made it relatively easy for them to penetrate the public school system. But since 2006, they could only enrol if at least one parent holds a MyKad.
"That's probably why so many of them end up in the streets," said Mohd Yaakub.
"Both locals and officials are concerned about the uncontrolled entry of immigrants, especially illegal immigrants," said Associate Professor Ruhanas Harun at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia's Centre for Politics, History and Strategic Studies.
When she attended annual security briefings there for the Armed Forces Staff College in the past, she said Sabahans told her they didn't feel safe going out at night or to certain areas.
Zamboanga, in the southern Philippines, is just a half-hour boat ride from Semporna, she said. "The Abu Sayyaf still pose a threat. They are both terrorists and bandits and have staged kidnappings in Sabah in the past."
A counter-terrorism expert also said there could still be links between Jemaah Islamiah's network and the Darul Islam militant group which until 2006 reportedly controlled the Sulu Archipelago between Sandakan in Sabah and Mindanao and helped seven Indonesian militants escape to the southern Philippines through Sabah between 2003 and 2006.
Few expect the illegal immigrant presence in Sabah to change any time soon. Experts said the crackdown was neither comprehensive enforcement nor a permanent solution to the vexing problem.
"The challenge is to reduce the dependence on migrant workers," stressed Mohd Yaakub. "As long as we're stuck in this low-wage-sector economy, we will remain dependent on foreign labour. You can reduce dependence on foreign labour by using less labour-intensive technology. To do that, you have to invest more in human capital and technology."
But while the country is still dependent on foreign labour, the government needs to "enhance its documentation, monitoring and enforcement capabilities," Mohd Yaakub said.
"If we had an efficient information system, we would have known who they are, where they are or whether their status has changed.
"When you have an efficient monitoring system, you would then be in a better position to estimate the number of illegal immigrants."
Similarly, he said, there was a need to simplify application and renewal processes.
Often, illegal immigrant workers apply for jobs in other businesses using invalid documents that have expired or even fraudulent documents.
