Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem no-nonsense image has earned him respect among many Sarawakians. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, April 5, 2015.A three-minute video clip of Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem lambasting enforcement officers from the state immigration department during a closed-door briefing in Kuching last Thursday has gone viral on Facebook.
As of this afternoon, the clip (appended here) has been viewed more than 25,000 times with 1,400 shares.
The video, taken with a mobile phone, appeared to have been recorded by an officer from the department when he and enforcement officers from 20 other agencies, both state and federal, were summoned to the state operations room in Wisma Bapa Malaysia in Petra Jaya.
It was a side of Adenan never seen by the general public but belies his “don't mess with me” reputation.
Adenan appeared to have lost his cool over the failure of the immigration department to stop the influx of Suluk and Bajau illegal immigrants to Miri.
“There are already 700 Bajaus and 400 Suluks fishing in Miri and (you still say) you don't know about it,” he was heard saying in the video.
“Now that you know, (you come up with) the usual excuses, 'not enough manpower, not enough this, not enough that'.
“Stupid, bodoh," said an angry Adenan.
“I don't want any more excuses about not enough manpower."
Adenan also said that “half (of) the staff work in the office”.
“Overstaffed in office, understaffed outside office.”
Branding some of them as “pengecut” (cowards), Adenan said they made all kinds of excuses not to take action against the Bajaus and the Suluks.
The Suluks, who are from the strife-torn southern Philippines, are fearsome and often aggressive towards the authorities.
“The real reason is that they are scared,” said Adenan, who added that the public expected the officers to do their job “bravely, courageously and with dedication”.
“We warned (the) immigration (department) a year ago about this Suluk.
“Nothing was done until the problem became a big one.
“Do you know how many illegal immigrants there are now in Sarawak?” Adenan asked the muted officers present.
“Underestimated. You want to be like Sabah?
“I don't want to be like Sabah.”
At a press conference later, Adenan said only 150 of the Suluks and Bajaus were rounded up in a recent operation and the “rest had gone into hiding”.
He said Suluk and Bajau houses in a squatter settlement had been demolished.
Despite the ear bashing, Adenan was applauded loudly when he said federal officers who are unhappy with their posting could ask for a transfer and “we'll get you out of this state”.
“If any federal officer is unhappy with his service and not happy to serve in Sarawak, you tell your bosses.
“You can ask for transfer. We'll support your transfer so that you will be out of this state.”
Adenan said it was easy to “get someone else who are more dedicated to serve in Sarawak”.
The chief minister, who has endeared himself to most Sarawakians for his down-to-earth attitude and policies protecting Sarawak's interests, also said the same goes for teachers.
“Mun sik maok sitok, ndak ndak lah sia (if you don't like to be here, so be it).
“Don't make so much noise. There are others who want to be here.
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