KUCHING: The increased smuggling of illegal immigrants into Sarawak by locals could be a recipe for disaster, increasing the number of Covid-19 cases.
Marudi assemblyman Datuk Dr Penguang Manggil said such activities by locals could jeopardise the lives of the people and the state government’s efforts will be in vain.
“It is a worrying issue which could throw all the hard work done by the Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) to control the pandemic down the drain.
“The smuggling of illegal immigrants by locals are driven by their greed and putting their interests above the ongoing global crisis that is happening in our state.
“If this continues on, the lives of many innocent people will be in danger,” he said when contacted by New Sarawak Tribune recently.
He believed that all parties, including the public, non-government organisations (NGO), corporate bodies, civil societies as well as the state government bear the same responsibilities to eradicate the Covid-19 virus.
“Hence, it is crucial that we work as one and fight our common enemy with discipline and dedication.
“The state government alone would not be able to tackle the smuggling of illegal migrants as our borders are not only porous but treacherous and lengthy,” he said.
The Local Government Assistant Minister also added that the state government has done its best to control and patrol the borders.
He urged members of the public to assist the state government to report and inform the authorities of any smuggling activities.
