Kota Kinabalu: The Sabah Immigration Officers Services Union (KPPIS) has voiced concern that the implementation of the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency Act 2024 (Act 860) or AKPS could erode the State’s autonomy powers and create confusion and overlapping jurisdiction between State and Federal authorities.
KPPIS President Azizah S Ahmad said this following recent debates concerning Sabah’s immigration autonomy rights as provided under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), the Federal Constitution and Part VII of the Immigration Act 1959/63.
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She said the union viewed the implementation of AKPS as having the potential to affect the daily duties of Immigration officers stationed at Sabah’s main entry points due to broad jurisdictional powers under the new law.
Azizah said officers on the ground were caught between complying with new Federal policies and preserving the State’s absolute immigration legislative powers under the supervision of the State Government.
She said the situation exposed officers to uncertainty involving operational standard operating procedures and legal safeguards while carrying out enforcement duties.
According to her, KPPIS had proactively engaged in official discussions at the highest level, including two meetings with Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor on April 27 and May 3 this year, which showed positive developments from the Sabah Government.
Azizah said the State Government had expressed a firm stand against the implementation of AKPS in Sabah based on the principle of defending State autonomy, while KPPIS also met Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah and Sarawak Affairs) Datuk Mustapha Sakmud on May 4 to submit official representations seeking a review of staffing procedures and security protection for officers under the ministry’s supervision.
She stressed that the union’s actions were not intended as opposition against the Immigration Department Malaysia (JIM) management, but were part of its responsibility to safeguard the welfare of members, adding that officers at Sabah entry points were currently facing jurisdictional confusion arising from the transition in implementing Act 860.
