CROSS-BORDER crimes staged by the armed groups from the southern Philippines could be reduced if Sabah restarts barter trade again, said Sabah Chief Minister Shafie Apdal today.

He said he believed criminals, especially those in the troubled southern Philippines region, could give up their vices if they had the opportunity to make “good money”.

“I believe that business picking up will curb people in the Philippines from kidnapping.

“No one turns to a life of crime if they have the opportunity to make money,” he told reporters after attending Tuaran MP Wilfred Madius Tangau’s Christmas open house in Kiulu, Tuaran today.

Shafie said Sabah should be taking the “prosper thy neighbour” approach in the hope that the people in the southern Philippines will reap the benefit from vibrant trade activities with Sabah.

Sabah initially planned to restart the barter trade in the east coast districts on January 1 this year.

However, the trade hasn’t officially started yet. Sabah banned barter trade indefinitely on April 2016 following security concerns such as kidnapping and piracy, as well as the smuggling of subsidised goods like gas cylinders, rice, and cooking oil.

The constant unrest, trouble, and gun culture of the Filipinos have hit the southern Philippines’ economy hard, forcing many to flee the region to places like Sabah.

Some were also driven into the business of kidnapping to make a living, and have posed a threat to Sabah’s security and booming tourism industry as far back as the late 90s.

Shafie said barter trade with neighbouring countries, namely the Philippines and Indonesia, had always been profitable to Sabah, as the goods are much cheaper in Malaysia/

However, he said re-opening the barter trade will include strict procedures to curb smuggling, especially subsidised goods like cooking oil, rice, and sugar that are sold cheaper in Malaysia than the two trading countries. – January 8, 2019.