DOMPOK ADAMANT, WANTS TO SURRENDER IC

By : QUEVILLE TO

PENAMPANG: If not for the invasion of a small village on the east coast of Sabah a few weeks ago by a group of armed Filipinos calling themselves the Royal Army of Sulu, the fate of over a million new immigrants – legal and illegal – would have been settled.

They would have all been so thoroughly embedded in Sabah’s social fabric that any change to their status would have caused economic and political upheaval in the state that would never be permitted.

Even an ongoing inquiry into how hundreds of thousands of them had acquired citizenship during the Barisan Nasional coalition government’s rule of the state and how the state’s population had exploded as a result, would have had little scope to remedy the lack of harmony.

But all that has changed in the past few weeks. It has put two federal cabinet ministers at odds.

The trio of Kadazandusun and Murut-based coalition members, Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), the United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko) and Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS), have united to demand that all citizenship papers granted to those in the state be revoked and reissued to only those qualified to be citizens.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz has rejected the demand on the grounds that it would be difficult for the federal government to issue new MyKad for those in Sabah, as demanded by the three KadazanDusunMurut-based BN parties.

“It is just a suggestion by the parties, but I feel it is difficult to be implemented …  there are legal implications,” he said a week ago.

His comments have again raised suspicions about the direction of the current Royal Commission of Inquiry into the issue and the federal government’s intentions.

But his cabinet colleague, Bernard Dompok, the leader of Upko, is sticking to his guns, knowing that it is an issue that has widespread support among ordinary citizens in the state and perhaps the country.

Repeating his call yesterday for the recall and review of all Malaysian identity cards that were issued in Sabah, the Penampang MP said he would take the lead to surrender his identity card or MyKad to the relevant authority.

Dompok together with Joseph Pairin Kitingan of PBS and Joseph Kurup of PBRS say it is the best way to determine who are Malaysian citizens.

The idea is not new.

Former Sabah chief minister Yong Teck Lee who helms the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) which sits in the opposition proposed the drastic move more than a year ago.

Dompok reiterated his and his fellow BN leaders’ stand when officiating the district level KDM Malaysia Idol auditions roadshow here on Saturday.

The MP who is facing a tough challenge to retain the constituency for the BN, stressed that their approach was one way to weed out those ‘dubious citizens’ in the state who were originally illegal immigrants as well as foreigners who were granted Malaysian citizenship by the authorities for political reasons.

Like Pairin and Kurup who claim they had anticipated the immigrants issue would pose a great challenge and burden to the state in various social areas including health, education and housing, Dompok said the repercussions were now being felt throughout the country.

“It is a challenge because we will have to play host to foreign immigrants more than the country’s own citizens.

“So the resources of the country are divided to provide for the education, medical facilities of the people who have joined us.

“At the same time we are of course mindful that this country also benefits from the workers coming from abroad.

“However what we want is that those who come to Sabah have valid travel documents and not to enter the state through the back door and later obtain identification documents which legitimised them as Malaysian citizens,” he said.

He also believed such a move could compliment the efforts of the ongoing royal inquiry that was agreed to by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak.

“This is a very serious matter and we have to surrender our IC and those who are really eligible to own a Malaysian identity card will be issued with a new one,” he said.

As elections loom and pressure builds on the BN political parties in the state, the fate of the immigrants who came to Sabah hoping for a better life remains in the balance. (FMT)

WAKIL KEDUTAAN FILIPINA JUMPA PENGGANAS

TAWAU: Menteri Dalam Negeri, Dato Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein menyatakan kerajaan sentiasa memberi ruang seluas-luasnya kepada wakil kedutaan Filipina untuk berjumpa dengan tahanan pengganas yang berada di penjara negeri ini.

Menurutnya, kerajaan sentiasa berusaha memastikan proses keadilan dan perundangan berjalan dengan lancar tanpa tuduhan tidak berasas dari pihak yang sengaja mengeksploitasi isu tersebut untuk menggugat keamanan.

“Kita akan pastikan proses keadilan dan perundangan berjalan dengan lancar supaya tidak ada pihak-pihak tertentu yang menuduh kita tidak adil dan tidak telus, jadi kita minta pihak Jabatan Penjara melihat perkara ini dengan mendalam,’’ katanya.

Beliau berkata demikian ketika sidang media selepas mendengar penerangan dan taklimat bagi membincangkan kedudukan penjara dan pengalaman Ops Daulat di Penjara Tawau di sini.

Katanya, wakil kedutaan Filipina telah berjumpa dengan lapan tahanan itu pada 27 Mac lepas dan memberi maklum balas positif iaitu berpuas hati dengan layanan Jabatan Penjara di sini.

Dalam pada itu, beliau menyatakan sangat berpuas hati dengan khidmat Jabatan Penjara di negeri ini, yang mampu mengawal populasi banduan berjumlah 4,530 orang dengan jumlah kekuatan anggota seramai 1,085.

“Kita tidak bimbang dengan keadaan sekarang di penjara, tetapi dil uar penjara iaitu perkara-perkara yang digembar-gemburkan, kita perlu memperkukuh kerjasama dari agensi-agensi termasuk masyarakat,’’ ujarnya.

Sehubungan itu, katanya, jika terdapat isu- isu yang dibangkitkan dari internet mahupun media sosial, beliau meminta rakyat mendapatkan pengesahan melalui talian hotline khusus dan bilik gerakan Kementerian Dalam Negeri (KDN) yang diwujudkan untuk Ops Daulat ini.

Menurutnya, talian itu menyalurkan maklumat yang tepat dan sahih dan akan membantu mematahkan hujah atau isu-isu yang sengaja dibangkitkan.

“Talian ini akan membantu memberi keyakinan kepada rakyat dan warga Jabatan Penjara dengan maklumat yang tepat, apatah lagi dekat-dekat pilihan raya ini akan lebih banyak isu.

“Namun kita telah belajar dari kejadian ini dengan banyak isu hampir 99.8 peratus adalah perkara tidak benar dan hanya fitnah semata- mata,’’katanya.

Tambahnya, talian itu akan diselaraskan dengan perlantikan Pengarah Kawasan Keselamatan Khas Pantai Timur Sabah (ESSCOM) di bawah 10 daerah ESSZONE.

Talian hotline KDN yang telah beroperasi selama sebulan khas untuk Ops Daulat boleh dihubungi di talian 088-488850 yang beroperasi 24 jam di Kota Kinabalu. (ST)

BN PILIHAN TERBAIK UNTUK RAKYAT

NYANYI.....Kelihatan Musa (tengah) semasa menyanyikan lagu 1Malaysia pada majlis itu.

PUTATAN: Ketua Menteri Datuk Seri Musa Aman berkata, Barisan Nasional (BN) adalah pilihan terbaik untuk rakyat Sabah pada Pilihan Raya Umum ke-13 (PRU-13).

Sambil membayangkan bahawa bahang pilihan raya umum semakin dekat beliau yang juga Pengerusi BN Negeri berkata, kepentingan dan keselamatan rakyat di negeri ini akan lebih terjamin dan terpelihara di bawah pemerintahan kerajaan BN.

“Tidak lama lagi kita akan menghadapi pilihan raya umum, saya yakin rakyat di seluruh Sabah bijak menilai mana kerajaan dan pemimpin yang prihatin dan baik hati kepada rakyat.

“Oleh itu apabila tiba pilihan raya jangan lupa pangkah calon Barisan Nasional, kerana hanya kerajaan BN yang mampu membela nasib rakyat.

“Saya yakin rakyat di negeri ini termasuk di Putatan bijak dan pandai menilai mana satu parti yang baik dan boleh dipercayai serta dapat menjamin masa depan kita serta anak cucu kita,” katanya.

Beliau berkata demikian ketika berucap pada ‘Road Show Yayasan Sabah Bersama Rakyat – Program Transformasi Kumpulan Yayasan Sabah, di Dewan Serbaguna Putatan, di sini, kelmarin.

Turut hadir Timbalan Ketua Menteri, Datuk Seri Yahya Hussin; Pengarah Yayasan Sabah, Tan Sri Datu Khalil Datu Jamalul; pembantu-pembantu menteri dan pemimpin-pemimpin masyarakat setempat.

Musa turut mengingatkan rakyat di negeri ini supaya tidak tersalah pilih dan tidak mudah terpengaruh dengan anasir-anasir tidak bertanggungjawab pada pilihan raya umum akan datang.

Katanya, ini kerana parti pembangkang tidak boleh dipercayai, sebaliknya kerajaan BN mempunyai track rekod yang baik sejak berpuluh-pulu tahun yang lalu.

“Hasil pentadbiran kerajaan BN negara kita makmur dan maju serta rakyat pelbagai kaum dan agama di negara ini terbela.

“Oleh itu kita jangan terpengaruh dengan parti pembangkang yang hanya tahu bercakap bohong dan menabur janji tetapi tidak mampu untuk menunaikannya,” katanya. (ST)

DEVELOPMENT - BN FAILED SABAH

WHAT'S UP.....The recipient family with the blue 1-Malaysia The bathroom of the family house Water tank behind their house and the BN umbrella in the foreground.

“BN SHOULD stop hoodwinking the people and play the “Best Developmentunder BN” card to attract voters support when it is clear that the BN State and Federal governments have failed in their responsibility to properly develop Sabah” responded DatukDr.Jeffrey Kitingan, STAR Sabah Chief to reports that Deputy Chief Minister, Tan Sri PairinKitingan, has praised that BN has the best track record government in the world in development and that the people of Sabah should continue to support BN in the coming general election.

The mere fact that the report was made at a function where water tanks were distributed to 153 families in Kg. Sandapak and Tangkongan in Bingkor, Keningau, reinforces the fact that BN has failed to develop the treated water supply in Keningau despite being in power since 1994, a period of 19 years.

If development in Keningau, the largest interior town is ignored, one can imagine the non-development in other interior areas?

The people are no longer ignorant and becoming more aware and vocal of the roles and responsibility of the government and their elected representatives. Promises of development and giving of handouts and water tanks do not attract voters support as the people now know that development is the responsibility of the government of the day.

Any government of the day, not necessarily BN, will have to carry out development projects, to provide clean water, build roads, build schools, provide electrical supply and build other infrastructure amenities and facilities.  

Chest thumping and boasting by BN that the opposition cannot provide development is pure nonsense and hoodwinking the people.   If the opposition were in government, they would be tasked with the responsibility and be providing development.   The opposition may do a better job in providing development compared to the current BN government.

The key question is not whether BN can provide development and the opposition cannot do the job.  The true test is whether the BN has carried out its responsibility of providing development to the extent that can be done.

Judging the development carried out in Sabah and comparing to Brunei and Singapore, our supposedly partners in Malaysia, it is as clear as daylight that the BN State and Federal governments have failed to develop Sabah properly.   Its track record is worse than many third world countries, certainly not the best in the world.

In Keningau, the BN governments have failed to provide clean treated water since 1994. The problem was further compounded by the Prime Minister promising in June 2012 to provide a RM235 million loan to improve water supply in Keningau.   

BATHROOM..... picture shows the bathroom and toilet of the family.

 It is the ultimate slap in the face for Sabahans when Petronas and the Federal Government took RM17.88 billion from Sabah’s oil revenue in 2012 and yet deem it fit to lend RM235 million for the Keningau water supply project.

On the ground, the implementation has caused untold fears of disruption to the affected villagers of the water supply project. The location of the proposed water intake source of the project is now moved so far downstream that it will affect the padi planting and livelihood of many villages. This is pure bad planning by the Umno/BN State government.

You do not need foreign enemies to kill the KDMs. The way the KDM parties in BN are treating the KDMs, they are just helping the Umno/BN government in imprisoning the KDMs in abject poverty and killing their future and the future of their future generations. (STAR Media)

PENDUDUK DIKEJUTKAN DENGAN BUNYI TEMBAKAN

KELU.....Abd Jabbar Bavotty dan isterinya, Norhaya Rusman hilang kata-kata melihat rumah mereka yang musnah di Tanjung Labian.

LAHAD DATU : Bunyi tembakan dari arah penempatan tepi laut dipercayai 500 meter dari masjid itu kedengaran sekitar jam 12 tengah hari, kira-kira 30 minit selepas pasukan keselamatan membenarkan mereka memasuki penempatan itu.

Susulan itu, anggota pasukan keselamatan yang bertugas mengawal kedua-dua kampung bersebelahan dikerah menyiasat kejadian itu.

Bagaimanapun, Pesuruhjaya Polis Sabah Datuk Hamza Taib yang berada di tempat kejadian menjelaskan, tembakan itu dilepaskan oleh pasukan keselamatan sebagai amaran.

Kegembiraan hampir 100 penduduk Kampung Tanjung Batu dan Tanjung Labian, di sini yang dibawa memasuki perkampungan mereka semalam, tiba-tiba dikejutkan dengan bunyi tiga das tembakan.

Ini menyebabkan sebahagian penduduk yang memasuki rumah masing-masing bertempiaran lari untuk berkumpul di kawasan lapang berhampiran dengan masjid yang ada di Kampung Tanjung Batu.