Dr Jeffrey Kitingan
KOTA KINABALU: Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STARSABAH) President Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan said the documentationSabah IC is the most practical, efficient solution – Dr Jeffrey issues in Sabah, including the prevalence of unverified documents like burung-burung papers, have created significant challenges to the state’s security and governance.
He said several studies over the years consistently reported that undocumented individuals make up a significant portion of the state’s population which are impacting access to resources and services.
“While I acknowledge that re-registering MyKad for all original Sabahans, as proposed by former chief minister Datuk Seri Salleh Keruak, could offer some relief, I remain sceptical about its effectiveness in fully addressing these longstanding issues.
“If re-registration alone could resolve these challenges, it would have been done so years ago.
“The persistence of these problems suggests the need for a more specialised approach,” he said in a statement today.
Dr Jeffrey, who is also the State Deputy Chief Minister I, said he has long proposed that a document which he would call the Sabah IC would be a more viable and effective solution.
“Unlike re-registering MyKad, the Sabah IC would be tailored specifically to Sabah’s needs.
“This dedicated identification system would allow us to manage and authenticate the identities of Sabahans independently.
“It would create an additional layer of verification that would go a long way in helping authorities distinguish genuine Sabahans from those with questionable documentation,” he said.
He said with the Sabah IC, genuine Sabahans will have easier access to state-specific resources, secure employment opportunities and educational benefits that have previously been diluted by unverified claims.
“Additionally, to ensure integrity, the Sabah IC will incorporate stringent security features, making it difficult to forge and easy for authorities to verify.”
Dr Jeffrey said STARSABAH is committed to working transparently with all stakeholders, including local communities, to ensure the Sabah IC is developed and implemented in a way that genuinely serves Sabahans.
“Our aim is to lay the foundation for a Sabah where every Sabahan’s identity and rights are secure, setting a new standard for governance and community trust.
“For STARSABAH, the Sabah IC is the most practical and efficient solution to Sabah’s ongoing documentation challenges.”
