It was only two weeks ago that the people of Sabah celebrated the 44th Malaysia Day on September 16 under protest — as the significance of the formation of Malaysia on that date had been virtually ignored in the 50th Merdeka anniversary celebrations resulting in a renewed call for Sept. 16 to be declared a national holiday to be an annual reminder to all Malaysians throughout the country of its meaning and importance.

However there had been no lack of somber reminders to Sabahans and Malaysians in recent months that in many important aspects, the clock of national integration and nation-building had gone backwards instead of striking boldly forward to create an united, vibrant, progressive and harmonious Bangsa Malaysia.

Only this month, it surfaced that there is not only the phenomenon of the marginalization of the Kadazandusun-Murut (KDM) community in Sabah, which I had highlighted in Parliament, but there is also the sub-marginalisation of the KDM when Sino-Kadazandusuns with Chinese surnames suffer a new discrimination when they are rejected from investing in Amanah Saham Nasional Bhd (ASNB) schemes.

ASNB had announced that the applications by at least 100 persons of Sino Kadazan descent to invest in ASNB were rejected as they could not produce a native certificate.

Section 2(1)(b) of the Interpretation (Definition of Native) Ordinance under the laws of Sabah cannot be clearer that a Sino Kadazandusun is a bumiputra, as it states that a Native is any person ordinarily resident in Sabah and being and living as a member of a native community, one at least of whose parents or ancestors is or was a native.

Sino Kadazandusuns are outraged at the ASNB rejection of their birth certificate officially stating the identity and status of one of their parents as a native and requiring them to get a Native Certificate when for over 23 years the Sabah State Government had imposed a freeze order on the Native Court system on the issuance of Native Certificates. Read the rest of this entry »