By Clara Chooi
The Malaysian Insider
Feb 23, 2012

KOTA KINABALU, Feb 23 — Putrajaya is finalising the terms of reference for the royal commission of inquiry (RCI) into the problem of illegals in Sabah, a state Barisan Nasional (BN) leader has confirmed, dispelling rumours that Datuk Seri Najib Razak had backtracked on the highly-anticipated decision.

The Malaysian Insider was informed that the only reason why the prime minister had not announced the RCI during his visit here last week was to allow for further input from Sabah BN component parties and the state government in the panel’s terms of reference and composition.

Claiming to have sighted the minutes of the Cabinet meeting, the leader confirmed that federal ministers had agreed to the formation of the RCI on February 8 and had tasked Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz to co-ordinate the scope of the RCI investigation.

At the Cabinet’s last meeting on Wednesday, February 15, a day before Najib’s Sabah trip, Nazri tabled a rough draft of the RCI’s terms of reference for discussion, the leader said.

“It was discussed but the terms of reference were not finalised because Cabinet wanted input from Sabah BN parties and the state government.

“And for that (reason), despite the huge expectation that the PM would announce the RCI on February 16, he was simply not ready to announce it,” the BN leader told The Malaysian Insider yesterday.

The leader pointed out that if Najib had announced the formation of the panel during his trip, the prime minister would have been criticised for being unable to offer clear answers on the panel’s scope of investigation and its members.

“Don’t forget, this issue has become a political hot potato. Everyone is talking about it. And it has been going on for years and years. Najib cannot make an announcement without giving some details,” said the leader.

But the leader admitted that Najib’s unexpected silence on the issue had not only angered but also embarrassed Sabah BN leaders, particularly those in UPKO and Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), who have been trumpeting their success in pushing for the RCI.

The prime minister’s failure to keep his party comrades across the South China Sea informed of the progress of the RCI had also caused much confusion, the source added.

“Unfortunately, no one explained why there was no announcement on the RCI. We were all so anxious to find out what happened,” the leader said.

When Najib, who was scheduled to speak to the media after a function in Tungku, near Lahad Datu, cancelled his press conference and left for Kuala Lumpur, rumours began to arise over the prime minister’s hurried departure.

Internet news reports screamed of the possibility that Najib had backpedalled on the Cabinet’s decision, some even claiming of a “secret meeting” of Umno warlords who warned the prime minister that BN would lose a sizeable chunk of votes if the RCI were to crack down on the state’s massive population of illegals.

Opposition party leaders jumped at the opportunity to trumpet to the public their assertion that Sabah-based parties in BN hold no clout in the ruling pact.

DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang demanded to know if Sabah BN leader Tan Sri Bernard Dompok’s announcement on February 10 that the RCI had been approved by Cabinet was merely “hot air”.

One BN PBS leader told The Malaysian Insider that one rumour even alleged that it was Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad who urged Najib against forming the RCI.

“Why didn’t he announce it? Why? We were all wondering. There were rumours all over. And yes, we were very disappointed. Even more disappointed than the opposition,” said the leader.

The leader noted that during Najib’s meeting with Sabah BN, the prime minister had indicated the possibility that this could be his last visit to the Land below the Wind before federal elections are called.

“But then he added that he could pay another visit… if federal elections are not called. It was expected that the RCI would be announced. There was no indication otherwise,” the leader said.

The unchecked influx of illegals in Sabah has been a longstanding problem in the BN-ruled state, and has usually been blamed for the rise in social, economic and security problems suffered by the locals here.

According to replies provided in Parliament last year, Sabah’s populace numbered 651,304 in 1970 and grew to 929,299 a decade later. But in the two decades following 1980, the state’s population rose significantly by a staggering 1.5 million people, reaching 2,468,246 by 2000.

Media reports said that as of 2010, this number has grown further to 3.12 million, with foreigners making up a sizeable 27 per cent or 889,799 of the population.

Opposition leaders have long raged against the BN government for this population explosion, alleging that illegals have been allowed into the east Malaysian state, and given MyKads and voting rights to help the ruling coalition cling to power.