Wira Warisan has called on the state government to substantiate the claim of Chief Minister’s Political Secretary Jamain Sarudin that former Chief Minister Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal’s support letters had led to foreigners receiving Malaysian citizenship.

According to Wira Warisan deputy chief Khairuddin Daud, Jamain who is SAPP youth chief, must prove that any “nota bidai” — support letters signed by Shafie and bearing the phrase “Gladly Approved” — resulted in approvals by the National Registration Department (NRD).

“If such claims are true, where is the evidence? Show us how many were granted citizenship based on those letters,” Khairuddin said, accusing Jamain of making politically motivated statements without factual backing.

He pointed out that the current GRS-led government has itself registered nearly 100,000 foreigners under the Sabah Foreign Workers and Non-Residents Integrated Management System (SWIMS), bringing in an estimated RM70 million in fees since 2023.

Citing recent remarks by Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan, Khairuddin noted that another 100,000 foreigners had been “legalised” under a digitalisation programme managed by the Immigration Department.

He added that Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department, Nizam Abu Bakar Titingan, told the State Assembly last year that those registered under the SMART Sabah initiative — including holders of documents like IMM13 and Surat Burung-Burung — could apply for Malaysian citizenship if they met legal conditions.

“As someone who once led the Black Sunday protests against the Sabah Temporary Pass (PSS), why is Jamain now silent on the mass documentation of migrants happening under GRS?” he asked.

Khairuddin said the GRS government was engaging in the very practices it once condemned, putting Sabah’s demographic and political balance at risk.

He stressed that the NRD had already clarified that support letters carry no legal weight in citizenship decisions. 

“Even if a Chief Minister signs off with full backing, it doesn’t override national regulations,” he said.

Khairuddin accused the GRS leadership of reviving the PTI narrative to stoke sentiment ahead of elections, despite failing to prove any wrongdoing by Shafie during Warisan’s administration.

“They rode this issue to victory in 2020 and 2022. But after nearly five years in power, and with a GRS MP having served as Deputy Home Minister, they still haven’t produced evidence that Warisan gave citizenship to undocumented migrants,” he said. – April 12, 2025