The latest case of ‘express citizenship’ was front-paged by Malay daily Sinar Harian today after its reporters visited one of the Pakistanis at his house in the Hutan Melintang state constituency in Perak.
They were detected by the Bagan Datoh PKR division during the process of examining the electoral roll.
It was found that four of the Pakistanis have been listed as voter in the electoral roll and all of them stay in the same house.
“When we were examining the voter list, we suspected the five names listed because they stay in the same house and are of Pakistani ethnicity,” Hutan Melintang PKR election director A Ganeson told the daily.
The party then visited the five at their house located in Taman Hutan Melintang and discovered that all of them have new MyKad, except one who holds the old identity card (IC).
"Five men aged between 30 and 40 claimed they obtained their ICs when they entered Malaysia for the first time.
All obtained ICs in Sabah
"They claimed that all of them obtained the ICs in Sabah through agents before moving to the peninsula," Ganeson said.
They also told him that some of them had voted in the elections as many as five times.
To verify Ganeson’s allegation, Sinar Harian went to the house together with PKR workers and met two of the five Pakistanis, while the others were not around.After being told that the visitors were to conduct an election examination, the two cooperated and showed their ICs.
One of the two, Ali Hamsir, 54, also asked to have his old IC changed to a MyKad.
Asked how they obtained their ICs, Ali confirmed that all of them were brought to Sabah when they first entered the country, before they started working in the peninsula.
"I am married. My family is in Pakistan and every year I go back to visit them. To go there we need to apply for (Malaysian) passports because we are now Malaysians," he said.
PKR’s assemblyperson for Hutan Melintang, S Kesavan, told the daily that he is mulling over lodging a police report over the issue after the party finishes examining the electoral roll.
'EC has nothing to do with issuance of MyKad'
On the other hand, the Election Commission deputy chairperson Wan Ahmad Wan Omar clarified that his commission has nothing to do with the issuance of suspicious MyKad.
According to him, any voter whose name is in the electoral roll and has been verified by the EC as a voter has the right to vote.
"When the individual shows his or her MyKad and we check that his name exists (in the electoral roll), then he has the absolute right to vote.
"The story before that (on the issuance of MyKad) is not an issue," he was quoted as saying.
Wan Ahmad also called on the public, especially political parties, not to "sensationalise such stories".
National Registration Department director-general Jariah Mohd Said declined to comment, saying that she needs to study the allegation first before making any statement.
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The Government will act on any report or resolution by the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on Illegal Immigrants in Sabah, said Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail.
In giving this assurance, he said, where there were criminal elements involved, action would be taken, and wrongs would be righted.
"Yes, if there are criminal offences, we will act. This is the Government's promise. That is why, the RCI was set up.
"However, we must remember, if we talk about criminal prosecution, we have to see whether there is sufficient evidence. In the RCI, everything that people say is acknowledged, but without evidence, we cannot accept.
We can accept hearsay evidence.
"To enable us to go to court, we have to look at admissible evidence.
This is not an excuse not to take action against those who committed a crime. We will take action, but according to the law," he told reporters after attending the Opening of the Legal Year 2013 at the Tawau Court, here, Monday.
Also present at the event were Chief Justice of Malaysia Tun Arifin Zakaria, Court of Appeal President Tan Sri Md Raus Sharif, Federal Court Judge Tan Sri Abdull Hamid Embong and Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Tan Sri Richard Malanjum.
Abdul Gani also urged all parties to have confidence in the RCI which he said, had delved extensively into all issues which were exposed.
"Everyone knows, that many were arrested (including) those with identity cards. This shows that the government is transparent. Looking at another aspect, it is a promise fulfilled.
"The Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak) had said he would see to it that an RCI would be set up, and that it would be transparent and reliable.
Otherwise, all these issues would not have been exposed.
"And, I am very glad and happy with it because that is what we want.
Why, because the truth must come out exactly as it is," he said.
Abdul Gani said, a mistake could have been committed earlier, and that mistake was being investigated, whether it was committed by government officers or the Government itself, or there was an element of fraud or corruption, which should be resolved for everyone's satisfaction.
"And, that mistake, we have to rectify...it is very important for this State (Sabah), it's my State.
We must do something. So, don't be in a haste, let's wait and see, just allow the RCI to do its job effectively," he said.
Saya betul-betul berharap RCI dapat menyelesaikan isu berhubung pati di Sabah.
Masalah-masalah yang timbul sejak kebelakangn ini semuanya berpunya dari masalah pati yang tidak pernah selesai.
Sama-sama kita nantikan hasil siasatan RCI. Harap kebenaran berjaya dibongkar supaya semuanya kembali reda.
Semakin banyak persoalan ditimbulkan tentang pati maka makin banyak juga version yang kita dengar.
Kita mahu percaya atau tidak itu adalah pilihan kita. Namun logiknya jika kita mahu adil dalam buat kesimpulan dengarlah dan tunggulah pendengaran RCI habis dulu.
tangkap mereka semua jika benar
Kita tunggu apa keputusan RCI nanti.
Macam-macam keluar sekarang, kita tidak tahu mana yang boleh di percayai.
Perdana Menter berkata kredit seharusnya diberikan kepada kerajaan Barisan Nasional (BN) yang dipimpinnya kerana bersedia untuk melaksanakan Inkuiri Suruhanjaya Diraja (RCI) bagi menyiasat pemberian kad pengenalan kepada warga asing di Sabah.
"Selagi kita beri IC mengikut undang-undang tiada masalah. Masyarakat Cina dan India juga dapat kerakyatan semasa zaman British dahulu, selagi ia berdasarkan undang-undang, ia tak salah, itu bukan isu besar," kata Najib.
Pelaksanaan RCI di Sabah itu adalah manifestasi ikhlas kerajaan BN untuk menyelesaikan isu yang telah membelenggu penduduk Sabah sejak sekian lama.
Rakyat tidak seharusnya menilai perkara itu terlalu awal memandangkan masih ramai saksi yang belum tampil, dan RCI itu juga masih lagi membuat sebarang keputusan.
"Biarkan suruhanjaya jalankan kerja mereka ... Selagi ia tidak ditafsir secara salah, ia adalah cubaan ikhlas kami untuk selesaikan isu rakyat Sabah," katanya, dan menambah RCI itu juga dilaksanakan atas permintaan daripada BN Sabah.
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