SEMPORNA: A NGO claims many of the 80-odd illegal resorts here are employing undocumented foreign workers and criticised former Chief Minister Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal’s defence of them.
Persatuan Bumiputera Bajau Semporna (Perbubas) President Mansor Santiri said Shafie’s recent call for the Government to ease licensing requirements to avoid their demolition was “ironic and difficult to accept.”
“Where was his voice when he was Chief Minister from 2018 to 2020? Bumiputera operators met him to appeal for faster approval of Temporary Occupation Licences (TOL), but were not given priority,” he said.
Mansor said many local Bumiputera entrepreneurs only secured approvals in 2024 under the current Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) administration, arguing that the issue could have been resolved earlier.
Mansor also alleged that illegal tourism operators, many of them non-Bumiputera, appeared to receive faster approvals in the past, while local operators were sidelined.
He further claimed there were signs of possible collusion between certain parties and illegal operators, saying such practices undermine the rule of law and could damage the country’s image.
“Any illegal resort must be shut down and demolished. What is the point of having laws if illegal operators are allowed to continue?”.
He added that failure to act not only results in tax losses to the Government but is also unfair to law-abiding operators who comply with regulations and pay taxes.
Mansor stressed that laws must be enforced fairly and without bias, urging authorities not to politicise licensing issues now when local Bumiputera operators had long been overlooked.
