Police
personnel check the identity of passengers on a road leading to Kampung
Tanduo, in Lahad Datu March 8, 2013. — Reuters pic KUALA LUMPUR, March 25 ― New identity cards (ICs) for “genuine” Sabahans should be issued to replace the existing MyKads that have cast doubt on the legality of their Malaysian citizenships, say three Sabah Barisan Nasional (BN) parties.
The Borneo Post daily reported today that United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (UPKO) chief Tan Sri Bernard Dompok made the proposal to re-issue the mandatory document in the wake of public ire over the flood of immigrants naturalised under a controversial project in the 1980s and which has become central to the national security after a 200-strong Sulu militant group invaded the north Borneo state early last month.
“This will provide an opportunity for us in Sabah to prove the authenticity of our citizenship so that only genuine Sabahans will be issued with citizenship documents like the new identity card,” Dompok was quoted as saying at a news conference in Penampang, on Sabah’s west coast yesterday.
The federal minister in charge of plantations, industry and commodities said he will propose the idea to the five-man royal commission of inquiry (RCI) investigating the massive influx of foreigners into Sabah, which has seen its population nearly tripled within 20 years.
“What I am saying here is that it is very obvious that we have to take this opportunity to reset things in Sabah and as you can see, a lot of people are disturbed by the arrival of uninvited guests by way of the sea.
“I was told that there are a lot of others who have got identity cards. It is now difficult to ascertain the legality of the identification documents. I feel that the only way is to collect all these identity cards and give fresh cards so that it can settle once and for all who exactly is the citizen of this country and who are eligible to become the native of Sabah,” he was quoted saying further.
The Penampang MP also suggested that the naturalisation process be tightened further by requiring citizenship hopefuls to advertise their applications publicly much like how marriage banns are posted to allow for vetting before engaged couples are allowed to wed.
Dompok’s idea was backed by his allies representing the core of the state ruling coalition’s main indigenous Kadazan, Dusun and Murut communities ― Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan from the Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) and Tan Sri Joseph Kurup from the United Sabah People’s Party (PBRS).
Kitingan, who is also Sabah deputy chief minister, was reported saying Dompok’s proposal had merit as there were many aspects about the state’s population that was unclear due to the lack of records on its illegal immigrants, and those who had gained citizenship through questionable channels.
“When we take into consideration our plans to ensure that the rakyat in Sabah are given focus, we need to know who the real Malaysians are. That is why we need to take steps to ensure that we get the true facts and details,” the PBS president was quoted saying.
The ongoing RCI needed to examine the allegations of suspect award of citizenship to unqualified applicants as the authorities could not deny it had happened previously, Kurup, who is deputy minister of natural resources and the environment, reportedly said.
“The MyKad is a passport to what Sabahans are entitled to like scholarships and we do not want it to be abused by those who do not qualify,” he was quoted saying.
The longstanding issue of illegal immigrants that has continued unchecked for decades has turned emotive among Sabah natives like the Kadazandusun and Murut communities, many of whom feel that the state has been robbed of its sovereignty through the massive influx of foreigners from neighbouring Philippines and Indonesia.
More than a quarter of Sabah’s population are foreigners, totalling a staggering 889,000 out of the 3.2 million-strong population in Sabah, or about 28 per cent, based on a 2010 census.
Sabah has 926,638 voters, according to a June report in English-language daily The Star.
The large number of foreigners has also worried Sabah natives, who often blame them for the rise in crime and for stealing job opportunities.
Some 200 Filipino gunmen led by Agbimuddin Kiram had entered Sabah through its porous east coast on February 9, where they have been engaged in violent clashes with Malaysia’s defence forces that have killed eight policemen, two soldiers and several civilians of unknown nationality since.
More than 60 Sulu militants have also died in the conflict in their bid to stake a 17th century ownership on the resource-rich state.
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Mahathir’s continued comments on the clandestine ‘Project IC’ that was in operation during his tenure is only serving to rile up voters in the state against the BN, said Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) supreme council member Chin Tek Ming.
Chin fears his party could suffer at the polls because the former premier’s unguarded comments justifying the granting of citizenship to immigrants in the state was only angering Sabahans more.
He urged the 87-year-old Mahathir to think carefully before he gave his opinions on such a sensitive subject as he was only spurring the hatred of Sabahans since he was the prime minister at the time tens of thousands of ineligible immigrants were granted citizenship.
“Think to yourself, who was the prime minister at the material time. And who was the deputy prime minister then? Don’t comment and incur the wrath and hatred of Sabahans,” he urged.
Chin, who is also Luyang PBS division chief, said Mahathir cannot just absolve himself of blame by saying that a few government servants had acted illegally but he was unaware of it at the time. He said senior government officers would not dare to do such things as getting involved in the distributing of Malaysian identity cards to foreigners if not given orders by someone senior in government.
This view is being aired as former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has sought to justify his administration's "Project IC" in Sabah by comparing it to first prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra's push for Chinese and Indians in Malaya to receive citizenship.
Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam, director of think tank Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute (ASLI), said the comparison was wrong as the two citizenship exercises were carried out for different reasons.
"This is not a fair comparison. One was for independence whereas the other was for votes. The motive for granting them citizenship (in Sabah) was to fish for votes and purely political. Citizenship was one of the negotiation points for Merdeka.
"The British would not have given independence so easily if the non-Malays were denied citizenship. They had been there for many generations and had toiled to develop the country," Navaratnam told
Malaysia should stop harping on the citizenship agreement made during the struggle for independence and focus on the road ahead, Navaratnam added.
"There are so many challenges that we as a nation face today like corruption, cronyism, declining competitiveness and poor education policies. Mahathir's remarks are contrary to the 1Malaysia concept," said Navaratnam, who had served the government for three decades.
Mahathir had admitted to granting citizenship to foreigners in Sabah but maintained it was done lawfully. But Mahathir sought to justify his administration's move by alleging that Tunku Abdul Rahman dished out citizenship to one million people who were "not qualified and not even tested".
Although Mahathir did not specify who these one million people were, his remarks were seen as a reference to the many Malayans of Chinese and Indian descent who were given citizenship when independence was being negotiated with the British powers.
Pre-independence, the proposal to give citizenship to non-Malays was a contentious and arduous process that took several years of multi-party negotiations. Malaya in 1957 had a population of 5.2 million people comprising 2.2 million Malays and indigenous people and, three million non-Malays, according to a book entitled Malaysia: The Making of A Nation by Cheah Boon Kheng. In similar vein, Centre for Policy Initiatives director Dr Lim Teck Ghee said Mahathir had no basis to compare the two historical situations.
Lim added that Mahathir's remarks was typical of the latter's "diversion strategy" aimed at shoring up Malay support by stoking racial sentiments. Sabah's large influx of foreign nationals has been a contentious issue for many years as locals fear an altering of local demographics.
Foreign nationals make up over 27% or 889,000 of Sabah's 3.2 million population, according to witness evidence during the current royal commission of inquiry to investigate the issue of undocumented immigrants in the state. Aside from altering the state's demographics, Project IC in Sabah was also alleged to be an exercise to give foreign nationals, mostly from the Philippines and Indonesia, citizenship
I think this is possible.
There is nothing to be doubtful about.
Kita harus percaya dengan kewibaannya.
Lagipun ini satu cadangan saja.
Give them your valuable support.
Sokongan moral yang padat harus ada.
Dompok is eager to do this.
Plus I believe that they have make some research on this method.
So it won't be haste.
Masyarakat tidak perlu bimbang dengan kemungkinan warga asing didaftarkan sebagai pengundi atau kes pengundi meragukan, kerana proses pendaftaran memerlukan MyKad ditunjukkan, Parlimen diberitahu.
Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz berkata, di hari pengundian pula, jika pengundi gagal memberikan kad pengenalan mereka tidak akan dibenarkan terlibat membuang undi.
Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz berkata, di hari pengundian pula, jika pengundi gagal memberikan kad pengenalan mereka tidak akan dibenarkan terlibat membuang undi.
Katanya, menurut Perkara 119 Perlembagaan Persekutuan yang hanya membenarkan rakyat Malaysia mengundi.
Terdapat 33 tahap semakan dalam sistem ALIS yang menghubungkan Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara dan sistem itu akan menolak pendaftaran daripada rakyat asing, kata Nazri menyentuh isu yang ditimbulkan anggota parlimen pembangkang.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz has said that it will be difficult for the federal government to issue new MyKad for those in Sabah, as demanded by the three KadazanDusunMurut-based BN parties.
"It is just a suggestion by the parties, but I feel it is difficult to be implemented ... (because) there are legal implications,” he said.
Nazri (left) had earlier represented the government in signing an agreement with the Asian African Legal Consultative Organisation secretary-general Dr Rahmat Mohamad for the body to operate arbitration cases at the Kuala Lumpur Regional Centre Arbitration (KLRCA).
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