Originally Posted by
SanDiego1K
We entered Malaysia a few days ago before this requirement. We are now in Sabah, where we had to show our passport for admittance. We are returning to the mainland. Will we be required to have a Digital Arrival Card?
Musing: I was surprised to be required to show our passport on entering Sabah as they are part of the same country.
It's a part of the agreement when the Borneo states, Sabah and Sarawak joined to form Malaysia, which allowed them to control immigration policies. So even though you're a Malaysian citizen but from the other Peninsula states, you don't have the right to settle, work or buy land in Borneo. I remember as a kid when we lived in Miri, Sarawak, I had a light blue cover passport meant just for internal travel to remain in Sarawak and my dad had to have a work permit to work in Sarawak. So most folks when they retire and prefer the slower paced Borneo life pretty much move to Labuan island as that is a Federal territory and hence no immigration restrictions for West Msians.
The way they differentiate "Malaysians" is that if you look at our ID cards, if you have a 'K' you're a Sarawakian and if you have a 'H' you're a Sabahan.