INQUIRY A NECESSITY

28th May, 2008
KOTA KINABALU: A Parliamentary Select Committee on illegal immigrants is no substitute for the Royal Commission of Inquiry, said UPKO secretary-general, Datuk Wilfred Madius Tangau.

“Our call for the setting up of a Royal Commission of Inquiry on illegal immigrants is actually to address a very specific issue and that is, to determine the truth behind the Project IC, which is also the mother of all illegal immigrants-related problems in Sabah.

“There is no compromise in this matter. A Royal Commission of Inquiry is no longer an option but a necessity. That is if the government is serious in putting things right on the award of citizenship in this country,” he stressed.

He said this in a statement issued here yesterday, in support of the statement by Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) president Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee, who called for a concerted effort to act on illegal immigrants.

He argued that just like the setting up of a Royal Commission on the Lingam video clip, which was to address the concern on the independence of the judiciary in the country, the call for the setting up of RCI on illegal immigrants in Sabah is equally, if not more important as it involves the security and sovereignty of this country.

To better illustrate his concern on the illegal immigrants issue, he cited the recent news report where the Prime Minister’s Department disclosed in Parliament through a written reply to a question from the Sepangar MP, Datuk Eric Majimbun, that during the period 2002 to 2008, there was a 12% increase in the Sabah population, that is an increase of 333,500 from 2,730,100 to 3,063,600.

“We need the Royal Commission to investigate what causes the extraordinary increase in the Sabah population. Perhaps the proposed Royal Commission could also look into the apparent inaction to deal with various police reports lodged against various statements on the Project IC. I myself was asked by police to assist in the investigation but, up until this point in time nothing has come out of it.

“One cannot help but to attribute the extraordinary increase in the population of Sabah to the existence of the so-called Project IC. There is no credible explanation but this factor,” he said.

He added that the threats paused by the presence of illegals in possession of dubious identity card, especially those form the Philippines are real.

He thus urged the government not to delay the setting up of the commission on the Project IC, as soon as possible.

“The government must continue to uphold the rule of law and protect the integrity of the National Registration Department (NRD). Failure to set up the RCI into the Project IC, will render the persistent negative perception that the NRD, is one Department that is untrustworthy,” he said.

The former Tuaran MP also called on the government to start investigating the claim made by former ISA detainee Hassnar Ibrahim, who during the Likas election petition trial testified that he was directly involved in a government sanctioned project to award identity cards to aliens in Sabah with the main intention to tip the demographic balance in the state.

The testimony of Hassnar was collaborated by Fuad Arif, (a Filipino from Pulau Tawi-Tawi, Philippines, and now resides in a village in Menggatal with his family), who claimed to have received his IC from the Project IC in 1984.

There was also a news report dated 24 January, 2007 in a local English daily (not the New Sabah Times) quoting Fuad for saying that he still remember the middleman who went to every house in the village to fill up forms for the IC and collected fees of about RM10 for a stamp duty.

He added that one of the documents used to support the IC application was the late birth certificate registration letters.

Commenting on Datuk Ronald Kiandee’s action of rejecting the motion by the MP for Ipoh Timur, Lim Kit Siang to amend the vote of thanks to the Royal Address, Madius said he would give Ronald the benefit of the doubt.

“I have done that myself when I was serving as MP, last year, but it was also rejected by the Speaker,” he highlighted.

He concluded that, to be serious about it, MPs should move a motion under Standing Order 18 (1) that is to move an Adjournment Motion to get Parliament to direct the government to set up the RCI.