Resettlement plan, training and schooling of Bajau Laut minority in Sabah demonstrates government’s commitment, says Federal Home Minister

SEMPORNA, July 27 — The census conducted by the Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCOM) has recorded a total of 28,000 people in the Pala’u community in Sabah, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said.

He said of these, 6,200 were Malaysians with valid birth certificates and identity cards.

The rest include people without identity documents, including children and heads of households.

“We recognise the existence of this Pala’u community in Sabah, and a meeting on the management of foreigners in Sabah, the Foreigners Management Committee, was held yesterday, which I chaired with the Chief Minister (Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor).

“During the meeting, we reviewed the reports on the Pala’u community, starting with the ESSCOM survey data, and established their figures,” he told reporters after the Home Ministry’s security inspection of the Eastern Sabah Security Zone (ESSZone) with foreign representatives yesterday.

He added that the meeting included a presentation of several state government initiatives affecting the Pala’u community.

One initiative is to resettle the Pantai Manis community, with plans to develop 50 to 100 houses as a new resettlement area.

Another initiative aims to engage with householders to identify those who are interested in working in sectors such as plantations, aquaculture, agriculture and various other specialized fields.

“This initiative has already started. Palauan children are placed in a centre in Kota Kinabalu with guardians, and two similar centres are to be opened to help discourage begging activities,” he said.

“This centre offers various self-care trainings, including basic literacy classes. The Sabah government also collaborates with educational NGOs such as Haluan and Iskul,” he added.

He stressed that this initiative is a noble effort and much more positive than what outside parties claim.

“It is time to recognise this initiative as a strong commitment by the state government,” he said. — Bernama

*Editor’s Note: The Bajau Laut are also known as the Pala’u