Published on: Wednesday, November 04, 2009 |
Tawau: MP Datuk Chua Soon Bui contended the concept of 1Malaysia could only be achieved if Malaysians in Sabah and Sarawak could obtain the same benefits as their counterparts in West Malaysia.
Targeting a number of issues, Chua, participating in the national 2010 budget debate speech at the Dewan Rakyat, said some of the concerns were the birth certificate and citizenship status of hundreds of Indonesian Chinese and people from China who had stayed in Sabah prior to the formation of Malaysia in September 1963.
She said it was heartening to see 92 people from such groups receiving their citizenship on September 16, 2009 after a wait of some 40 years but there were still many sharing a similar fate as the group had yet to obtain their citizenship to today.
"I am asking the Ministry of Home Affairs and the National Registration Department that under the terms of the Malaysia agreement 1963, every resident of Sabah were automatically accepted as citizens by the Federal Government," she stressed.
She explained that many of them had since died without obtaining such privileges citing the case of 99-year-old Choong Yik Sheng who only received his Permanent Resident card after his death.
Chua also asked about the much publicised registration of late birth certificates in Kalabakan between August 10 and 12, which was handled by the National Registration Department from Putrajaya in which some 200 alleged foreigners applied.
"These people are from Tawau and Balung who were brought to Kalabakan to have their registration done and I hope the Home Ministry would investigate the irregularities and prevent such people from taking over our lands and rights," she stressed.
She also highlighted the many complaints by both Barisan Nasional (BN) and Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) over the increase of the Sabah population in which queries over dubious issuance of birth certificates and citizenship were given no concrete answer.
She said the Home Ministry had revealed that one out of every six people in the State was a foreigner and they made up 18 per cent of Sabah's population of 3.1 million as of June 2008.
"In fact, it could be much higher because there is an increase of 10 per cent of the population this year which numbered around 3.4 million," Chua added.
She pointed out that the people deserved to know the percentage of registration of births, late registration and approved citizenships, as around 317, 837 undocumented migrant workers with their dependents enjoyed social benefits such as cheap medical care, free electricity and water together with 230, 000 working legally plus illegal immigrants in hiding.
