Kota Kinabalu: The plight of the stateless that needs addressing isn’t about those born overseas but in Malaysia among the natives, said Borneo’s Plight in Malaysia Foundation (BoPiMaFo) President Daniel John Jambun.
He said these unfortunate Sabahans had been deprived of birth certificates even under the late registration category via the Mobile Court.
“That keeps a large number of people out of the electoral rolls and raises questions on the legitimacy of government as the Court ruled that the Constitution does not allow for statelessness.
“There was case law not so long ago, by the Federal Court, on statelessness in the country.
Those deemed stateless were advised that they could seek confirmation on their status from the ‘old country’ and approach the Federal Court for resolution.
“The stateless, among the orang asal, have no ‘old country’ like the foreigners in Sabah,” he said.
Daniel also said he is puzzled why billionaire Tan Sri Vincent Tan came “looking for trouble in Borneo Territory”.
“If Tan is obsessed with Sabah, it may arise from the fact that he is a bosom pal of former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammad.
“For those unfamiliar, ‘Projek Mahathir’ allegedly resulted in foreigners born outside Sabah ending up in the electoral rolls.
The result has been a loss of sovereignty.
He said if the National Registration Department was linked online with the Election Commission, fraudulent voters in the electoral rolls would be automatically purged from the system.
“Illegal immigrants in Sabah must exit before Parliament can grant Amnesty, which facilitates Special Pass and or IMM13 Passes. There can be no Permanent Residency for illegals in Sabah,” he said.
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