Another BN component party threatens to quit

United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (UPKO) threatens to quit Barisan Nasional unless the federal government takes serious efforts in resolving the issue of illegal immigrants in Sabah acquiring Malaysian citizenship. [Malaysiakini, 6/10/08]

UPKO's threat to quit the coalition should be taken seriously by Badawi's regime when another Sabah party, the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) had already pulled out of the Barisan Nasional coalition last month. The SAPP claimed that the ruling polical bloc has lost its spirit of "racial unity" and defiled by racial supremacist policies. SAPP, however chose to remain independent until they feel it was fit to rejoin the government.

UPKO's outburst came in response to SAPP MP of Sepanggar, Datuk Eric Majimbun's latest exposé of a deliberate attempt to alter Sabah's demography by the government. Majimbun discovered that the details of his surname and residential address were duplicated on another MyKAD belonging to an illegal immigrant from the Philippines.

Click here for more details on the controversy.

Majimbun's revelation was only the tip of the iceberg as the sinister plot to manipulate Sabah's demography in favour of the government has been taking place for more than 30 years. Sabah Parti Keadilan had speculated that at least 600,000 of the 1.7 million foreigners in Sabah currently possess a MyKAD and with it, Malaysian citizenship.

It was disclosed that Sabah's population have increased 285 per cent from 1970 to 2000.

With Malaysian citizenship being handed cheaply to countless illegal immigrants, "genuine" Malaysians like 78 year old, Yong Lee Hua from Penampang was robbed of her citizenship; literally. The elderly woman lost her MyKAD last year when her purse was stolen but upon application of a new MyKAD, she was instead issued a red identity card.

Red identity cards are only given to individuals of Permanent Resident (PR) status.

Yong was initially told by the National Registration De­­partment (NRD) that it was "normal" procedure for the department to issue her a PR identity card. When she returned with proof of citizenship documents including her passport and driver’s licence, an official told her there had been a mistake and requested her to apply for citizenship. Her bank accounts have been frozen since.

Yong Lee Hua, a bumiputra was not only stripped of her status as a native but also her Malaysian citizenship. Instead, she was asked by the NRD to reapply for citizenship - an appalling testament to the department's incompetence.

In Sabah, a person is accorded bumiputra status if either one of his/her parents is a native.

Stephen George was another Malaysian who was facing a similar predicament regarding his citizenship. Stephen was born in Brunei in 1956 but returned to Sabah in 1958. He has been applying for Malaysian citizenship since 1975 but to no avail. Upon his last check, he was told by the NRD that his application was with the police and the process might take another year.

UPKO President, Tan Sri Bernard Dompok issued a demand for a complete overhaul of Sabah's NRD. Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar have been called to Sabah for a meeting behind closed doors with Sabah party leaders to address the issue of citizenship plaguing the state. Dompok also assured Sabahan's that his party will be at the forefront in tackling the issue until it is resolved by the government.

“The saddest part is that there are people who can walk into the country through the backdoor and still get their ICs (identity cards). I will take action and help, whatever it takes. I will bring it up to the Cabinet,” he said. [The Star, 6/10/08]

SAPP President Datuk Yong Teck Lee also voiced his disgust over the matter and have demanded that the state NRD be brought under the jurisdiction of the Sabah state government.

“How can a genuine Sabahan Malaysian (referring to Yong Lee Hua) lose her citizenship so casually whereas other foreigners can become citizens so easily? These new citizens have become not only Malaysians but Sabahans with the right of abode and employment in Sabah. They have also acquired rights that surpass that of other Malaysians from the peninsula and Sarawak,” Yong told reporters. [The Star, 3/10/08]

The SAPP President also claimed that illegal immigrants over the decades have managed to attain Malaysian citizenship through dubious means. As a result, these "new citizens" were given bumiputra status and therefore could own native lands. However, he added that the fact of Malaysians losing their Malaysian citizenships without the due process of law was much more disturbing.

Hence, it is high time for the Barisan Nasional government to awaken from its slumber and address the epidemical influx of phony citizens into the country. Irregardless of whether there was ever a malicious attempt to tamper with Sabah's demographic landscape, the government can no longer hide within its own shadows when the statistics and real-life testimonies of true Malaysians have corroborated that indeed, something equivocal has been going on under the noses of Malaysians.