Now left to permanent panel to not disappoint Sabah
Published on: Saturday, December 06, 2014
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Sabahans’ high anticipation of a permanent solution with regard to that issue was dashed when only a Permanent Sabah migrant panel was formed instead of a clear-cut solution.
With only a panel, the people felt that they are once again invited to a merry-go-round game.
Yes, it was not a solution but it is reverting back to the proposal stages. Although there was an assurance that the government will give the highest commitment to solve the problem by listing the examples of what had already been done, the people are still questioning why they are only preventive measures. They opined that the ICs that are genuine but are known to be obtained from the syndicates should be withdrawn while at the same time the government should consistently go down the ground and seriously hunt those illegal immigrants by identifying a specific targeted location and fixed unending time-frame.
The individuals mentioned in the report as syndicates must be made known to the masses because if their identities are shield then there is only one perception. The persons concerned are indeed persons having powers and are linked to the government as what had been told by witnesses called during the hearings. And it can also be construed that the government is camouflaging the truth of the issue.
The allegations by Sabahans that the government is not serious in solving the problem because of the illegal importance as their vote-banks during the election must be quashed without any further delay. The confidence of the people must be restored or else they will no longer trust the government of the day. In fact, many are already disappointed with the announcement of the report. They seemed to feel that the illegal are more being taken care of than the real Sabahans because this issue is already an open-book issue and their presence can be seen throughout Sabah unless a person is totally blind.
The rejection by the commission of Tan Sri Bernard’s proposal for the withdrawal of all illegally issued ICs in Sabah, though having its merit, with a reason that it is difficult to locate the IC holder is also quiet incomprehensible. Aren’t we already in the ICT era?
I believe that the National Registration department had already put up a system which can easily extract data of every applicant. Why not scrutinize all applicants who had applied the ICs beginning from the time the problem of ICs occurred? Mutalib’s books on project ICs can be used as a reference. Of course, the task is tedious but that should not be a hindrance not to make an effort if indeed the government is really serious and committed to find the solutions. Moreover, the birth certificates that stated a Filipino or Indonesians race should be assessed genuinely.
The report seemed to be denying Sabah’s 301pc population growth within a short period of time. It is really unacceptable. By logic a woman cannot give birth 3 to 4 times a year unless she has the ability to lay eggs like a chicken whereby in one period the chicken can have a dozen chicks. This unprecedented population growth must be the basis to be considered because it is an obvious indicator that the problem of illegal getting genuine IC is indeed happening.
It is undeniable that the government is trying to solve the problem but that effort must be re-energised further and at the same time must be seen transparent. Our leaders, be they pro-government or pro-opposition, are undoubtedly concern with this long-standing malaise though they are having different approaches. Even though the pro-opposition are criticising the government, they are only playing their roles as reminders for pro-government leaders should they lapsed in their powered-responsibility.
Therefore, whichever side is making statements; it must be digested to be understood in its entirety. The assurance by our CM of wanting to end the problem once and for all through drastic action must be supported so that it can materialise for the benefit of all Sabahans. The acting president of Upko, Datuk Wilfred Madius Tangau, who promised to stand by their proposal to recall and reissue all ICs of all Sabahans as their basis of their action plans are also worthy to be supported. At the same time the Penampang MP, Darell Leiking’s concerns that the government lacks commitment to rectify and to end this perennial problem cannot be perceived as distracters to the solutions. His ideas must be incorporated as one of the solutions. The blame-game should not be promulgated further. It is time for everyone to pool everyone’s ideas on how best we can stop this problem without hunting us anymore for the rest of our life.
The report which did not conclusively say that the project IC doesn’t exist must be taken as one of the equations that need re-evaluations. If we read through the report, it did not totally quash its existence. It says it is possible it existed. But the question that the people are asking is why it is not prominently highlighted in the report? Their perception is that since Tun Mahathir is allegedly involved in the project, the commission wanted to save him from further embarrassments. Of course, as it stands now, it is purely an allegation though there are books and even video-statements implicating the former PM was part of the conspiracy which is yet to be proven legally as true.
By and large, the people on the ground had mixed freely with these new ‘Malaysians’ and what surprised them was when those whom they knew had only in Sabah for a few months and can hardly speak proper Malay but can proudly show their genuine ICs. Some even boasted that they are now having equal privileges with them, the locals. This had made the locals downhearted because they themselves are sometimes having difficulty getting that precious card. Consequently, they feel that the government is purposely neglecting its own people.
The yet to be formed permanent Sabah migrant panel must not disappoint the people of Sabah. Presently, many are already sceptical of its effectiveness. They say that even with the formation of The Royal Commission of Inquiry, it failed to show Sabahans the much needed solutions. Their dilemma arises when their hopes and anxiety to be free from the presence of illegal immigrants collapsed with the solution-less announcement of the report. It seemed that the report indicates that there are many hidden secrets otherwise there should be no reason to be scared to reveal the truth. Yes, revealing the truth hurts but at least we can hold our heads high with dignity and magnifying our priceless and honourable act of being honest.
Where do we go from here? It’s up to us to decide. If we wavered directionless, then we will always be trapped in the unending abyss of no hope of return. If we are steadfast with our own capability and what we believe that is right, though we stumble, we can still stand up again to continue our long journey to complete the unfinished task in life. The choice is open to us. You take it or leave it and regrets. You decide.
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