28-07-2025
Stop foreign trader invasion in Sabah like in Peninsula - Warisan
A foreigner operating a grocery stall in Sabah.
KOTA KINABALU (July 28): The Local Government and Housing Ministry should stop issuing small kampung grocery retail shop licences to foreigners like in the Peninsular Malaysia, said a local politician.
Warisan Kg Kapayan Branch leader Pritchard Gumbaris concurs with Federal Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming, who made it clear that these licences must not be issued to foreigners.
'I strongly agree — and I believe this must not just be an announcement for the Peninsula, but fully enforced here in Sabah as well,' he said.
'Kapayan and Moyog are flooded with foreign traders. Walk through our kampungs and you will see it yourself — local shopkeepers being pushed aside, and outsiders taking over spaces meant for Sabahans. And this is not just a Penampang issue — this same situation is happening across every district in Sabah, with rural and urban communities alike feeling the pressure of uncontrolled foreign retail operations,' he said in a statement on Monday.
Pritchard who is also the Political Secretary to Parti Warisan deputy president Datuk Darell Leiking, said the problem was solved before through a strict and disciplined process during the Warisan Plus government, when they worked hand-in-hand with the Penampang Municipal Council and the district local authorities to curb the mushrooming of foreign-operated shops.
'Every trading licence application in the villages required the village chief's endorsement, and the village chief had to be strict when approving each application — no rubber stamps, no shortcuts. Our office personally vetted every case through interviews, photo checks, and site inspections. I chaired joint meetings with village leaders to scrutinise applications and we were never afraid to reject those found to involve foreigners using local proxies or falsified documents.
'It worked. Foreign-operated small kampung grocery retail shops dropped sharply, and our local entrepreneurs finally had breathing space.
'But today, that hard work has been undone as enforcement has collapsed. The process we built was not maintained, and now foreign traders are mushrooming again,' said Pritchard.
He said this is the very reason Warisan has proposed an Ombudsman Committee — an independent body to receive complaints from any whistleblower on corrupt practices, so that accountability starts at the local community level.
'The Sabah Trades Licensing Ordinance 1948 (Sabah Cap. 144), specifically Section 5 and the First Schedule, already outlines the conditions for trading licences — including clear restrictions on foreigners operating businesses in kampungs. The problem is not the absence of law. The problem is the absence of political will to enforce it,' he stressed.
Pritchard urged Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Dr Joachim Gunsalam to take this issue seriously.
'It is his ministry's duty to ensure that the state's local councils enforce these rules without fear or favour, and that no loopholes are allowed for foreign operators to abuse.
'If Warisan is given the mandate in Kapayan, we will restore this enforcement system immediately. We will bring back the same tough, proven process — because it worked before, and it will work again.
'Nga Kor Ming has drawn the line. Now it is time for Sabah to follow through — with real action, not empty talk,' he said.
