Tolerance by State, Federal leaders to squatters a root cause
Published on: Wednesday, December 10, 2014
.jpg "Tolerance by State, Federal leaders to squatters a root cause")
KOTA KINABALU: The squatter problem in Sabah has reached crisis proportions due to decades of tolerance by successive State Government and Federal leaders.The Panel of Enquiry on Illegal Immigrants in Sabah has identified this (squatters) as one of the root causes for the alarming increase in the illegal immigrant population in the State.Even as far back as 1999, it was reported that the relevant authorities had taken no concrete action to resolve the problem despite numerous reports of problems associated with such colonies.
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They were even allowed to spread all over the State and create slums wherever they sprouted.It noted Director of FSTF (Federal Special Task Force) Datuk Haji Abu Talib Harun saying that the number of illegal immigrants seeking refuge in the squatter settlements or colonies to avoid detection had reached an alarming level and that these settlements or colonies were a major cause for the increase.It also noted a writer under the name "Amde Sidik" describing the squatter problem in Sabah as the worst in Malaysia. He said the squatters were mostly illegal immigrants and spread from coastal areas like Tawau, Sandakan, Lahad Datu, Semporna, Kunak and Kudat to even the interior such as Keningau, Ranau and Sipitang.In 2006, the acting Commissioner of Police, Sabah, said that the mushrooming of squatter colonies in Sabah was the root causes of social ills and crimes in the State and he had warned not to wait another 10 or 20 years until more squatter houses are built "as by then, it would be too late to act."
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This alarming call was echoed by SAPP (now opposition) in its position paper where it is stated that law enforcement agencies had described squatter colonies as hotbeds for illegal activities; that health authorities had described them as incubators with the potential to cause outbreak of contagious disease and that the local Sabahans perceived them as eyesores damaging the environment and their quality of life.Poverty and deprivation were the hallmarks of squatter colonies giving rise to plunder and rape of the environment.
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However, although the State Government made numerous statements on the need to demolish those colonies, it did not demonstrate the necessary political will to deal with it. One proposal was to compel employers to mandatorily provide housing for their foreign workers and dependents as a way of alleviating or mitigating the squatter problems.Pulau Gaya was said to be favorite squatter colony because it provided easy access to Kota Kinabalu where most illegals worked in the service and construction sectors. It noted an article in the Daily Express on 27/6/1999 in reference to Pulau Gaya which states:"In no time, it became a self-containted settlement with its own social order and infrastructure complete with a mosque and school for their young and chosen leaders to oversee their family and community affairs. When locals realised the advantage of having residence on the island, they too moved in. The social interaction among the locals and foreigners resulted in mixed marriages and today it is not unusual to find a large number of families comprising local men and women with foreign spouses and their children. Add to this, the involvement of local politicans who offer them protection in return for their votes during the general elections."The panel referred to the Kota Kinabalu City Hall (DBKK) having often been reproached for demolishing homes belonging to illegal immigrants and its officials being unfairly branded as behaving inhumanely or uncaringly in carrying out their tasks by a Barisan Nasional component party.It noted one incident on the site of the proposed new State Library where a squatter village had sprung up, apparently, with tacit understanding and protection from certain politicians. DBKK's ongoing exercises to clean up the known problem areas in these squatter colonies was met with stiff resistance from the illegals themselves as well as the racketeers affected by the demolition exercises.Another panelist wrote also in the Daily Express that Sabah had largest number of squatters in Malaysia, most of whom were illegal immigrants; that they tended to build houses wherever there was space available irrespective of who was the rightful owner of the land.The houses were easy to erect because of the cheap materials used. In Kota Kinabalu, about 80pc of houses bulldozed by the authorities were erected by illegal immigrants from the Philippines and 20pc from Indonesia while those from Pakistan and India preferred to rent houses. Instead, this trend had apparently spread from the east coast of Sabah to the interior.It also further noted expressions of frustration by the public in the Daily Express, whereby illegal immigrants were increasingly blamed for crimes and insecurity felt and experienced by Sabah communities; filthy and unhygienic conditions through indiscriminate littering of towns and worksites; mushrooming of squatter colonies througouth Sabah: burgeoning drug trade resulting in increase in social ills; and depriving locals of legitimate jobs.It was noted that although there was need to have foreigners in Sabah for economic reasons, there was concurrent need to establish order and organisation to resolve the problem. One proposal was to establish a so-called "new village concept" along the lines of those established under the Emergency Rule in the 1950s in Malaya for Chinese in view of the communist threat then.Although such a proposal might be criticised by some quarters as having the effect of depriving locals of certain facilities, it was really a matter of choice i.e. "whether we wish to see the problem continue to snowball into an uncontrollable nightmare or establish some order and bring the situation under our own control," the writer opined.In another article under Daily Express "Forum" dated July 1999, one writer complained about the lack of political will regarding the need to relocate and demolish squatter colonies; that there was political interference against local council's enforcement actions on squatters. He opined that the job of demolition should not be borne only by local councils but also by other agencies including the Federal Special Task Force (FCTF). On this he said:"It is the lethargy and often ambivalent attitude of the State and Federal Governments towards the illegal that has led to the intolerable present situation, They should clear the mess and not merely leave it to the local councils."It was noted that the FSTF had in 1999, requested the State Government to prevent the expansion of squatter colonies in Sabah in order to curb the influx of additional immigrants. The Director of FSTF was reported to have said that he would be submitting a proposal to the State Government on the matter. There was, however, no indication about the content of this proposal or whether it was actually done as promised by the Director.In the course of the investigations, the RCI Investigators visited most of the squatter colonies. They had compiled their visits in a bundle. According to them, there were 182 squatter colonies or settlements in Sabah, occupied by foreigners. They visited 117 of them. The investigation revealed that only a few of the colonies had been provided with basic facilities. "Secara keseluruhannya Pasukan Siasatan SSPA telah berjaya menjalankan siasatan di penempatan setinggan di seluruh negeri Sabah. Terdapat beberapa penempatan setinggan yang lebih teratur dengan adanya kemudahan seperti jalan bertar, bekalan air dan elektrik, sekolah KAFA, tadika KEMAS, kawasan permainan, surau, gelanggan futsal, perhentian bas dan jambatan bersimen yang menyambung dari satu rumah ke satu rumah yang lain. Walaubagaimanapun, terdapat juga penempatan setinggan yang tidak mempunyai kemudahan-kemudahan seperti dinyatakan di atas."(Overall, the SSPA Investigation Team had managed to conduct investigation in squatters in the State. There are a few more well-organised squatters with facilities such as sealed road, water and electricity supplies, school, Kafa (Islamic teaching class), KEMAS kindergarten, playground, surau, futsal court, bus stop and concrete bridge to connect from one house to another. However, there are also squatters that don't have facilities mentioned).On the basis of their investigations, the RCI Investigators had made certain proposals for consideration. Under "Cadangan", they stated as follows:"Pasukan Siasatan SSPA mengesyorkan agar masalah sosial dan jenayah di penempatan setinggan di Sabah haruslah ditangani dengan sewajarnya. Pihak berkuasa haruslah tempatan perlu mengambil langkah proaktif seperti mengadakan pemeriksaan, bancian, penempatan semula dan merobohkan rumah-rumah di penempatan setinggan.Pendatang asing tanpa izin perlu diambil tindakan tegas di mana mereka perlu ditangkap dan diusir ke negara asal. Selain dari itu, pihak kerajaan juga boleh mewujudkan perkampungan baru dengan mewartakan penempatan setinggan yang teratur yang telah sedia ada, JKKK dan RELA di perkampungan yang diwartakan perlu diwujudkan di mana ia dapat membantu mengurangkan kadar jenayah dan isu-isu lain yang timbul."(The SSPA Investigation Team recommends that social and crime problems in squatters in Sabah should be handled properly. Local authorities should take proactive moves like conducting inspection, census, resettlement and demolishing houses in the squatters. Firm actions should be taken on the illegal immigrants where they should be detained and deported to their homeland. Apart from that, the government can also establish new village by gazetting the existing well-organised squatters, JKKK and Rela have to be establish in this gazetted village where it can help reducing the crime rates and other issues).The panel noted, it is quite evident that the squatter colonies or communities in Sabah are expanding in numbers and size with the passage of time.It said the social networks arising from ties of kinship, friendship and ethnicity had contributed to their numbers and size. Most of them have become safe havens for new and incoming illegal immigrants.Then there is also the transient population referred to earlier which would include foreign workers in Sabah. Their numbers have been increasing over the years.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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