3/11/2025 SABAH FOREIGN IMMIGRANT - ISSUES AND OPPORTUNITIES.

INTRODUCTION:

My first time being in touch with the Sabah foreign immigration issues was around 1987. I was

then assigned to attend GIS - Geographical Information Seminar at Kota Kinabalu organized by University of Tokyo. With some pocket money provided by the sponsoring organization, I would say I could do some extra with those big money then. One late afternoon I shot to Pulau Gaya by hiring a boat. The price then was cheap - a mere RM50.00 to go round the Island. I loitered the squatters area there. I was in deep puzzled to see how was their living condition then. No water. No electricity. Not a school. Rubbish all over the places. Kids were running around barefooted. Road access was on stilt plank walks. Despite so, Gaya was a vibrant sea squatters living. They caught all sort of marine products and trade in Kota Kinabalu at the Philippines Market.  They were then as an overall treated as not of our blood brothers of our Adam and Eve ancestors.

(2)    In 1998 on one weekend, from Bintulu I droved alone all the way to Sandakan, Sabah. The road was bad especially from Mt Kinabalu to Sandakan. It took me almost 18 hrs medium speed driving. There, as an adventurous loving person, I wanted to go into one of a huge squatter village by the Sandakan City. The entrance to the village was guarded by a police post. So I asked for permission to go in. I was advised not to. I looked foreign with all those camera and electronic gadgets that I was carrying. They said, I might get rob and killed unnecessarily. I was really puzzled and upset. In my own Country, I can't have the freedom to be among those disadvantages. The village seem to be another foreign unfriendly land.

(3)    Since early 2022, I was tasked to look at some investment opportunities in Sabah. Alhamdullilah around Okt 2024, I managed to secure one handsome Project to work on. Due to my health issue, the matter was slowed down almost for the whole 2025.  In Shaa Allah, by early next year, the Project will began to be implemented. As I was working on this Project, I held numerous inter-agencies discussion in Kota Kinabalu. From such discussions, there my interest on this Sabah Squatters cropped up and I stated my strong interest to participate in  extending my thought on the matters. From 2002-2011, as part of my service in the Sarawak State Government GLC, squatters issues were part of key areas that I had contributed to resolve all over Sarawak. Among them were the TB & Leprosy Center at Sentosa and the thoughest was the Darul Hana. I believe, with the long corporate experienced in dealing with the matter, I hope I could help the Sabah side to do so. I can see this would make my life be more interesting and even challenging in the coming 2026-2030.

(4)    This writing is my initial exploration to deal in depth into this Squatters issues in Sabah - which had dragged into very difficult immigration, nationality, security, socio-economic and political issues. I would love to spend probably my next 5-7 years of my life-span to be in and with Sabah as part of my personal interest to pursue and revive my adventurous live-style. I love Sabah seaweed and all the compact natural challenges.

SABAH SQUATTERS PULL-PUSH FACTORS:

(1)   Comparative to other Malaysian regions, Sabah seem to be very succeptive to squatters issues. Squatters issues in Sabah is much complex as compared to those in Kuching, Perlis-Kedah or Selangor. Why? These squatters they are not only local rural-urban migrant but international immigrants from Indonesia and the Philippines. My early discussion among the squatters, the locals are having complicated basis to land as squatters. I would later love to go into details of those and even among those "orang hanyut".

(2)    The squatters' settlements in Sabah are strongly associated with the establishment of the coastal township. Majority of the Sabah townships are by the sea coast. Kota Kinabalu, Semporna, Tawau, Lahad Datu and Sandakan to name among the major cities all are located by the coast line. Interestingly, almost all of these major cities are within the rich mangrove fishing ground and mudflat ecosystem. This mangrove ecosystem fit into the traditional and natural environment of the Southern Philippines and Eastern Indonesian Islanders livelihood.

 

(3)    The Sabah Coast particularly on the eastern side, is considered a very rich sea-based resources. The mangrove mudflat and coral ecosystem are natural breeding ground for the marine resources.  Indeed the Sabah East Coast to all those islands of the Philippines and Indonesia formed a very productive natural fisheries ecosystem. Internationally high quality of fishes and marine resources are abundant in this part of the Pacific system. 

(4)    The eatern Indonesia and Southern Philippines, both are devoid of the Central Government attention. For the Philippines, the Southern population are considered the minor. Racial-wise and religiously they are very different from their northern counterpart despite indeed they were of the same stock. The western colonial had successfully divided them. Accordingly the far eastern Indonesian - all those islanders to the far east, in view of great distance from Jakarta, their fate is equal to the southern Philippines. The critical success factor to those distinct socio-economic disparity was due to one-n-only-one factor; corruption. Both the Philippines and Indonesia were and are among the worst corrupt nation on earth. Reflecting to our home Malaysia, Sabah indeed longing kept in great disparity was and is also due to corrupt practices.

(5)    Naturally Southern Philippines, Far Eastern Indonesia and Sabah, Malaysia, these regions are very susceptible to all sort of natural disasters especially the moonson flood, typhoon, tsunami, landslides, earthquake and volcanic eruption. I had the opportunities to explored these regions quite extensively, and I have strong empathy over their socio-economic bad fate. The Philippines is made of 7.000 islands and Indonesia with 17,000 islands. To do great developments in these part of the world is a real challenge. But indeed the worst challenge was in view of rampant and worst corrupt practices. So much so, probably for every RM spent on "development" only 30 cents really taken on the ground. Similarly out of RM of the region resources, may be only 30 cents really goes into the people coffer. 

(6)  Development disparity, racial and security issues are a never ending paradigms of both the Southern Philippines and Far Eastern Indonesia. I dare to say, the same for Sabah except to a lighter extend. In my simplistic summary, this ex-Sulu Empire (?), the region seem to be left to rotten to not the Central Government serious concern. .... to be continued In Shaa Allah