STAR PROPOSED TOR FOR RCI

STAR Sabah believes the Federal Government’s announcement that it is still waiting for feedback and views from the State Government and relevant parties concerned before finalising the Terms of Reference (TOR) of the RCI on the illegal immigrants issue in Sabah is just a lame excuse to purposely continue to drag its feet over the matter.

Jambun said it is clear that there is not much hope that the RCI will ever be set up now that its proposal had been treated with disinterest.

The Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz said in Parliament a few days ago that the Terms of Reference would be made public once finalised. He said this in a written response to queries from the Kuching, Ranau, Tawau, Kota Kinabalu, Putatan and Tuaran Members of Parliament over the status of the RCI.

“It is unbelievable that Nazri had admitted the Federal Cabinet had agreed to set up the RCI to investigate the issue on Feb. 8 and this was followed by the process of preparing its TOR,” Jambun said. “But how many months do all the brains in Putrajaya and Kota Kinabalu need to come up with a list of TOR?”

Jambun said it was encouraging to hear Nazri say that to ensure the illegal immigrant problem in Sabah can be solved comprehensively, the TOR needs to be comprehensive and not only limited to investigation aspects, and that, it would also cover the security, social, economic and environmental aspects in order that the Commission could come up with a permanent solution to the problem.

“But this kind of assurance is beginning to sound hollow after the issue has been kicked around like a ball for so long now,” he said. “And Sabahans in general have began to feel that the Federal Government is actually very afraid of carrying out such an inquiry.

“If the government fails in this task which is so ciritical due to its implications on national security, it will be putting the nation in real danger of suffering from a reverse takeover by way of Sabah.

“But if it is serious and is really in the process of preparing a comprehensive TOR, we in STAR would like to present our proposed TOR once again for consideration by Federal Government,” he said.

Jambun said the TOR must include the following grave concerns by STAR which touch on matters of Sabahans’ disenfranchisement, marginalisation and ethnic cleansing, as follows:

(1) The extraordinary increase in population in Sabah since 1963 vis-à-vis neighbouring Sarawak which had a higher population than Sabah in 1963 and now has a much lower population comparatively;

(2) How many people in Sabah are citizens; permanent residents; temporary residents; stateless; illegal immigrants; and foreigners with valid travel papers;

(3) How many of the names on the electoral rolls are phantom voters drawn from dubious citizens and/or foreigners and measures to clean up the Electoral Rolls;

(4) The rise in the number of Muslim state seats from 20 in 1994 to 32 subsequently while the number of non-Muslim Native/Chinese seats remained at 28;

(5) The rise in the number of Muslim parliamentary seats from 8 in 1994 to 13 subsequently while the number of non-Muslim Native/Chinese seats remained at 12;

(6) Why the number of non-Muslim Natives in Sabah have been falling dramatically since 1963;

(7) How many genuinely non-Muslim Natives in Sabah have been classified as Muslims by the National Registration Department;

(8) The suspected dubious citizens and suspected instant Natives in Sabah must be verified through a checklist of person-by-person questions to ferret out false natives;

(9) To assist this process of verifications, provide immunity to some suspected dubious citizens and suspected instant Natives themselves in return for information on how they became citizens, instant Natives and ended up on the electoral rolls;

(10) Provide immunity to whistle-blowers on the Elections Commission in the National Registration Department and any other government department which can help piece together the picture on the staggering population rise in Sabah and the phenomenon of dubious citizens, instant Natives, and phantom voters;

(11) Enlist the help and testimony of genuine Malaysian citizens in Sabah to meet the objectives of the RCI;

(12) Investigate and reassess why the Election Commission has rushed to pass through Parliament a law stating that the Electoral Rolls cannot be challenged once gazetted;

(13) Investigate, determine and recommend punitive measures provided by the laws against wrong-doers;

(14) Those who obtained MyKads fraudulently must be stripped off the documents and there should be no amnesty or offer of permanent residence. The Federal Constitution is clear on this; and

(15) Criminal charges must be brought against NRD and Elections Commission officials who participated in the heinous crime of issuing MyKads to illegal immigrants and padding the electoral rolls with their names. The charge can be one of sedition and/or treason and not minor offences such the falsification of official documents followed by a simple slap on the wrist.

“The Federal Government must understand that this list of TOR by STAR is derived from the pulse of the people’s current sentiments and desires,” Jambun assured.