SINO, RACELESS CHILD?

By: SAPP MEDIA

SABAH Progressive Party (SAPP) Deputy President, Datuk Eric Majimbun, said the State Government's refusal to resolve the problem of recognition of Sabahans who were born into parents of mixed indigenous races, where one of the parents is a Bumiputra or 'Son of the soil of Sabah' is sad and worrying.

Eric, who is also Member of Parliament for Sepanggar, further said that to be born with this situation is a right and not a privilege on the individual.

"By ignoring this right, the State Government and the Federal Government are eroding the Bumiputra rights of Malaysian Sabahans.

"Since 1984 due to problems of the appointed government leaders, the previous government ceased the issuance of bumiputra certificates but the State Government of the day should solve this outstanding and prolonged problem instead of giving excuses.

"We are now on the second generation of being 'raceless' and by saying that, newly born children of mixed marriages were categorized as "sino-native"....a sino-raceless child.

Eric said it is also wrong for the State Government to only acknowledge those native certificates or sijil anak negeri which were issued by the native courts before 1984 to be endorsed by Native Welfare Office or Pejabat Hal Ehwal Anak Negeri which is tantamount to encroachment of the Native Court Procedure and Enactment under the ‘Sabah Declaration of Native Ordinance’.

"Has this enactment and ordinance act been amended by the State Assembly?" Eric asked.