RCI for Sabah illegal immigrants crisis – Sabahan support


INQUIRY A NECESSITY
New Sabah Times
28th May, 2008

KOTA KINABALU: A Parliamentary Select Committee on illegal immigrants is no substitute for the Royal Commission of Inquiry, said UPKO secretary-general, Datuk Wilfred Madius Tangau.

“Our call for the setting up of a Royal Commission of Inquiry on illegal immigrants is actually to address a very specific issue and that is, to determine the truth behind the Project IC, which is also the mother of all illegal immigrants-related problems in Sabah.

“There is no compromise in this matter. A Royal Commission of Inquiry is no longer an option but a necessity. That is if the government is serious in putting things right on the award of citizenship in this country,” he stressed.

He said this in a statement issued here yesterday, in support of the statement by Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) president Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee, who called for a concerted effort to act on illegal immigrants.

He argued that just like the setting up of a Royal Commission on the Lingam video clip, which was to address the concern on the independence of the judiciary in the country, the call for the setting up of RCI on illegal immigrants in Sabah is equally, if not more important as it involves the security and sovereignty of this country.

To better illustrate his concern on the illegal immigrants issue, he cited the recent news report where the Prime Minister’s Department disclosed in Parliament through a written reply to a question from the Sepangar MP, Datuk Eric Majimbun, that during the period 2002 to 2008, there was a 12% increase in the Sabah population, that is an increase of 333,500 from 2,730,100 to 3,063,600.

“We need the Royal Commission to investigate what causes the extraordinary increase in the Sabah population. Perhaps the proposed Royal Commission could also look into the apparent inaction to deal with various police reports lodged against various statements on the Project IC. I myself was asked by police to assist in the investigation but, up until this point in time nothing has come out of it.

“One cannot help but to attribute the extraordinary increase in the population of Sabah to the existence of the so-called Project IC. There is no credible explanation but this factor,” he said.

He added that the threats paused by the presence of illegals in possession of dubious identity card, especially those form the Philippines are real.

He thus urged the government not to delay the setting up of the commission on the Project IC, as soon as possible.

“The government must continue to uphold the rule of law and protect the integrity of the National Registration Department (NRD). Failure to set up the RCI into the Project IC, will render the persistent negative perception that the NRD, is one Department that is untrustworthy,” he said.

The former Tuaran MP also called on the government to start investigating the claim made by former ISA detainee Hassnar Ibrahim, who during the Likas election petition trial testified that he was directly involved in a government sanctioned project to award identity cards to aliens in Sabah with the main intention to tip the demographic balance in the state.

The testimony of Hassnar was collaborated by Fuad Arif, (a Filipino from Pulau Tawi-Tawi, Philippines, and now resides in a village in Menggatal with his family), who claimed to have received his IC from the Project IC in 1984.

There was also a news report dated 24 January, 2007 in a local English daily (not the New Sabah Times) quoting Fuad for saying that he still remember the middleman who went to every house in the village to fill up forms for the IC and collected fees of about RM10 for a stamp duty.

He added that one of the documents used to support the IC application was the late birth certificate registration letters.

Commenting on Datuk Ronald Kiandee’s action of rejecting the motion by the MP for Ipoh Timur, Lim Kit Siang to amend the vote of thanks to the Royal Address, Madius said he would give Ronald the benefit of the doubt.

“I have done that myself when I was serving as MP, last year, but it was also rejected by the Speaker,” he highlighted.

He concluded that, to be serious about it, MPs should move a motion under Standing Order 18 (1) that is to move an Adjournment Motion to get Parliament to direct the government to set up the RCI.

  1. #2 by wtf2 on Wednesday, 28 May 2008 - 11:12 pm

    project ic == selling out the nation

  2. #3 by bernadette on Wednesday, 28 May 2008 - 11:50 pm

    we’re seeing the ‘indonesianization’ of sabah and there’s nothing anybody can do. UMNO bigwigs think they are doing a fine job at changing the demographics to suit their agenda. opposition politicians think it is all about a master plan to retain control of the state.

    but hey! pause for a while and look at the big picture!

  3. #4 by lyhmsia on Thursday, 29 May 2008 - 1:04 am

    If UMNO truly love this nation. They should investigate this problem openly; however, we can’t investigate the problem because most layman knows who is the main culprit. Hence, I like to use the phrase from Patrick Teoh blog – “Nia Mah”!

    Fortunately, I live in Semanjung Malaysia and not Sabah or Sarawak. So, Sabahan and Sarawakian you take care of your ownself since the Federal Government don’t give a damn about national security.

  4. #5 by lyhmsia on Thursday, 29 May 2008 - 1:05 am

    Maybe Sabah will be part of Indonesia …….?

  5. #6 by robert wong on Thursday, 29 May 2008 - 7:23 am

    I have a friend who is still holding a red IC even though his brothers, sister had already holding blue IC for many years. Before the 12th GE he approached one of the BN YB for help, but all he can get from the YB’s mouth was “…. change your name to muslim name (in other word , convert to islam) then your application will be approved in no time ). Now that is the ‘sick scenario’ that is happening in the ‘Land below the Wind’. Once was an muslim Indonesian estate labourer, now with children in the arm forces, navy, immigration, registration dept, YBs, you name it, For those without muslim name , wait until your neck as long as the giraffe. Way to go Tangau, you are truely a Sabahan . Those BN YBs who keep silent on the issue or just paly delaying tactic will face the wrath from their own injustice.

  6. #7 by yhsiew on Thursday, 29 May 2008 - 8:10 am

    There is no guarantee that the illegal immigrants will forever remain faithful to their “Master” who adopted them. What happens if there is a “Tsunami Sabah” by the illegal immigrants? The culprit who started the “Project IC” is insane!

  7. #8 by Godfather on Thursday, 29 May 2008 - 9:12 am

    What is there to investigate when Project IC was started by UMNO ? Implicate Mahathir on another criminal act ?

  8. #9 by oedipus on Thursday, 29 May 2008 - 10:05 am

    i think those who freely gave ic to illegal immigrants are true traitors of our country!

  9. #10 by rainbowseahorse on Thursday, 29 May 2008 - 10:10 am

    There is a revival claims on Sabah by heirs of the former Sultan of Sulu. Tracing lease documents of Sabah (then North Borneo) from Charles Lee Moses, Baron Von Overbeck, (through Alfred Dent & company) the British North Borneo Chartered Company, onto being a British Crown Colony, and to being part of the Federation of Malaysia (refer to en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Borneo for further reading), I would dare say that if the claim is to be referred to the ICJ (International Court Justice), Sabah will indeed revert back to the heirs of Sulu. This could be one of the reasons why the Malaysian Federal Government is not that interested in solving these so called illegal immigrant issue as they know eventually Sabah will be out of Malaysia. In the event that the ICJ ruled that a referendum be held for the people of Sabah to decide their fate, I think there is a bigger chance that those two millions plus legal immigrants might vote in favor of the heirs of the Sultan of Sulu. Then all those YBs & MPs can help the heirs of the Sultan of Sulu to reduce Sabah to the same level as the Southern Philippines.

    I think Sarawak should start recruiting exercises on selective migration of real Sabahans to Sarawak. This will ensure that they get only the desired people to populate and to help further develop the state.

  10. #11 by Malaysian on Thursday, 29 May 2008 - 1:04 pm

    Setting up RCI means RIP for UMNO Sabah. That’s the reason why the UMNO Musa Aman is not keen to solve the illegal immigrants problem. Even the setting up the Parliament Select Commitee will take years and probably until the 13th GE.

  11. #12 by pkrisnin on Thursday, 29 May 2008 - 1:31 pm

    Do any of you know how Sabah fell to BN without actually winning the election and what role Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee played. I was there and I can tell you YTL is no saint in the eyes of Sabahan

  12. #13 by dat2108 on Friday, 30 May 2008 - 1:55 pm

    sdr lim kit siang,

    Terimakasih kerana menyuarakan pendapat tentang isu pendatang asing (PATI) di Sabah. Isu ini telah sdr panjangkan di parlimen tidak lama dulu sedangkan di pihak ahli parlimen Sabah (BN) nampak seperti berdiam diri sahaja tentang isu ini.

    Banyak perkara yang perlu diambilkira dalam mengatasi masalah kebanjiran PATI di Sabah. Saranan penubuhan Suruhanjaya Diraja berkenaan perkara ini wajar diambil perhatian oleh pihak kerajaan persekutuan. Kebanjiran PATI seperti tidak terkawal di Sabah. Di mana peranan berkesan pihak penguatkuasa seperti Polis dan imigresen? Adakah sekali lagi ini ada kaitan dengan isu rasuah yang menyelebungi agensi penguatkuasa yang menangani isu PATI ini? Apa pula peranan pihak Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara? Banyak sudah bukti2 yg dikemukakan oleh pihak NGO dan ahli2 politik di Sabah yang menunjukkan pendatang asing ini berjaya mendapat my kad warganegara dgn menggunakan dokumen yang boleh diragui kesahihannya.Dan ini diluluskan oleh pihak Jabatan Pendaftaran sendiri! Sedangkan ramai rakyat tempatan di kawasan pedalaman yg terpencil tidak ada surat beranak dan my kad. Nampak pihak BPR perlu membuka mata tentang isu ini.

    Satu lagi masalah utama tentang PATI di Sabah ialah masalah setinggan. Pergi sahaja di Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan dan Tawau. Tidak termasuk lagi dengan masalah curi air dan elektrik oleh PATI. sedangkan kami rakyat tempatan perlu membayar bil untuk itu. Jika ke hospital pula, kita akan dapat lihat kemudahan perubatan yang disubsidi kerajaan ini dimanfaat sepenuhnya oleh PATI.penduduk tempatan terpaksa bersaing dgn PATI untuk mendapatkan kemudahan perubatan.

    itu sedikit sebanyak tenatng masalah PATI di Sabah…

  13. #14 by lopez on Saturday, 31 May 2008 - 9:01 am

    over the last 10 years i realised i have met many east malaysians in FT, and i realised they are from two side of social strata…the dtks and the “maids or labourers from sabah”.

    Dear sabahans and sarawakians, i am wondering whether the papers got it right , what your AM Pee says is what you people want or just what their cronies want, you have a big country there as we can see, are you sure your opinions are conveyed across thse trees and fauna my friends.
    i dont think so…..cynical ..yes…

  14. #15 by dusunbukit on Sunday, 8 June 2008 - 9:41 pm

    Bernama report (Jan19,2007) Hansar admitted his direct involvement to Project IC and subsequently detained under ISA for 2 months and another 2 years house arrest. And yet the sabah CP still asking him to make a police report? What has the police have been doing for that 26 months?

    In that report, the reporter interviewed some of the self-admitting Project IC’s products, with full name, IC numbers and addresses provided, and still the police find it insufficiant evidence to investigate?

    PBS’ Radin Maleh provided 193,600 IC numbers to be investigated and yet the police said not still not enough proof?

    what are they trying to tell us?

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