KOTA KINABALU: Sabah needs a Philippines Consulate rather than an Indian Consulate, says former deputy chief minister Jeffrey Kitingan. "Sabah also does not need to take in Indian workers because it has more than enough foreign workers from Indonesia and the Philippines, who also speak Bahasa Malaysia. "Therefore, we do not support the establishment of an Indian Consulate in Sabah," stressed Kitingan in response to the Prime Minister’s announcement of support for the proposed Indian Consulate, here. In short, while there may be a few who welcome the opening of the Indian consulate, the majority of responses on social media show concern regarding the necessity and priority. Kitingan also proposed that Anwar Ibrahim engage diplomatically with the Philippines President to establish their consulate in Sabah.

Source: The Star February 18, 2026 15:54 UTC