Revoke all identity cards issued in Sabah and start over, says Kitingan

Putrajaya should revoke all identity cards issued in Sabah and issue new ones if it is serious about
overcoming the problem of fake MyKad, STAR Sabah chief Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan (pic) said today.

He was commenting on the issue of fake MyKad in the wake of two incidents where Sabahans obtained employment as security guards in Kuala Lumpur using false identification documents.

"Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, the NRD and the police are every bit as complicit and guilty as the foreigners holding fake MyKad if they do not investigate the culprits who started this entire mess," he said in a statement.

He said the revelations made during the Royal Commission of Inquiry on illegal immigrants in Sabah were not surprising.

"One cannot help but point fingers at Putrajaya, the National Registration Department and the Election Commission for their involvement in this sordid affair," Kitingan said.

"With due respect to the family of Norazita Abu Talib and her two young children, her murder and other incidents only showed the entire nation about the monster problem festering in Sabah," he said.

Norazita was shot dead by a security guard in a murder-cum-robbery at the Ambank branch at Jalan USJ Central 2, Subang Jaya on October 23. Investigations revealed that the guard had used a fake identity card to gain employment and was allowed to use a firearm without undergoing proper security vetting.

"The problem of fake MyKad and the weeding out of illegal MyKad holders can be resolved easily if Putrajaya is serious about tackling the problem. All that is needed is for the NRD to produce the records of every birth certificate and identity card issued in Sabah from September 16, 1963, and verify these documents," Kitingan said.

He said although it may seem long and tedious, but it was not impossible and national security was at stake. He also added that authorities should bear in mind that there could be as many as 1.5 million fake MyKad currently in circulation since the 1970s.

"Consider Norazita's tragic death, the goldsmith shop robbery at the Kuala Lumpur Festival Mall in Setapak and the discovery of 20 security guards holding fake MyKad. The potential threat to the nation is both alarming and frightening, and this could just be the tip of the iceberg," Kitingan said.

"Who can the people of Sabah trust now? Can Putrajaya and its agencies be relied on to protect and safeguard the interests and safety of Sabahans?" Kitingan questioned.

The Sabah state government should set up a Homeland Security Ministry and Department to address Putrajaya's shortcomings, he added.

Kitingan pointed out that the 2010 national census revealed there were 889,770 legal and illegal immigrants in Sabah. He said looking back at the failures of Putrajaya and its national agencies, the Sabah state government should take full control of the immigration department and the NRD in the state.

"If Putrajaya wishes to continuing issuing dubious MyKad to illegals and foreigners, they can send all of them to stay in the peninsula. It is time Putrajaya remembers that every Sabahan is a Malaysian but not every Malaysian is a Sabahan," added Kitingan. - November 3, 2013.