April 20, 2012
KUALA LUMPUR, April 20 — Umno’s allies in Sabah ratcheted pressure for a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) into the illegal immigrant problem there last week when the state Barisan Nasional (BN) sent its recommendations for the panel to Datuk Seri Najib Razak ahead of his visit this weekend.
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“The problem is that PBS was quite slow. But now that they have submitted the report, we are hoping Najib will announce it when he comes this weekend,” a Sabah BN leader told The Malaysian Insider.
However, he said that candidates to sit in the RCI have yet to be finalised with the likes of Tan Sri Richard Malanjum, Chief Judge for Sabah and Sarawak, and Tan Sri Simon Sipaun, former vice-chairman of the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia, among suggested names.
The Umno president flies to Sabah today for a two-day visit that begins with stops in Kota Kinabalu and Sandakan.
PBS, which is Barisan Nasional’s (BN) largest Sabah-based party, called last week for the RCI to be formed before polls that must be called within a year as it would have little value after that.
Deputy president Datuk Seri Maximus Ongkili said his party had resolved at its November 2011 congress that an RCI into the influx of illegals must be formed in 12 months.
“We have put our party on the line for that; we want it. It must be done by this year. But the opportune time, of course, is before elections. Let’s face it, it will not have much value if announced after elections,” he told The Malaysian Insider.
United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (UPKO) president Tan Sri Bernard Dompok was also reported to have said this week that the RCI must be announced before Parliament is dissolved to be seen as credible.
“I’ve put my political life on the chopping block. If this isn’t resolved, my position in the Cabinet will be untenable.
“Besides, the act of not proceeding with the RCI will say a lot about the government’s attitude to the Kadazandusun Murut communities,” he was quoted as saying by The Star.
According to replies provided in Parliament last year, Sabah’s population was 651,304 in 1970 and grew to 929,299 a decade later. But in the two decades following 1980, the state’s population rose by a staggering 1.5 million people, reaching 2,468,246 by 2000.
Media reports said that, as of 2010, this number has grown further to 3.12 million, with foreigners making up a sizeable 27 per cent or 889,799 of the population.
Opposition leaders have long railed against the BN government for this unusual population explosion, alleging that illegals have been allowed into the east Malaysian state, and given MyKads and voting rights to help the ruling coalition remain in control.
In early February, Dompok had revealed that the Cabinet had agreed to form the RCI.
Najib was widely expected to announce the panel into what Sabah BN leaders say is the top election issue there when he visited later the same month but the prime minister left without speaking on the issue.
This sparked rumours and Internet news reports of the possibility that Najib had backpedalled on the Cabinet’s decision, with some even claiming a “secret meeting” of Umno warlords had warned the BN chief it would lose a sizeable chunk of votes if the RCI were to lead to a crackdown on the state’s massive population of illegals.
A Sabah BN insider later told The Malaysian Insider that Cabinet meeting minutes showed that it had agreed to the RCI on February 8 and tasked Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz to co-ordinate the scope of the RCI’s investigation.
He said Najib’s unexpected silence on the issue had not only angered but also embarrassed Sabah BN leaders, particularly those in UPKO and PBS, who have been trumpeting their success in pushing for the RCI.
The PM has been coy on the status of the RCI, only saying at a press conference on February 23 that it was still under consideration.
Sabah really need the RCI to solve the illegal immigrants
ReplyDeleteThe illegal immigrants issue in sabah has reach to point where its becoming more and more critical. Would Najib allow this to continue in sabah? We can only hope that he will approve the set up of RCI.
ReplyDeleteI can see the effort made by sabah bn to have this RCI set up in sabah. I hope Najib will approve it and implement it before GE.
ReplyDeleteSemoga kerajaan Persekutuan akan memberi keputusan yang positif mengenai penubuhan RCI ini di Sabah.
DeleteSyabas kepada PBS kerana berusaha menyiapkan terma rujukan sebelum lawatan Datuk Najib di Sabah. Diharapkan PM kita akan membuat keputusan mengenai isu ini secepat mungkin.
ReplyDeleteHarap2 sebelum PRU dilaksanakan.
DeleteAda yang menyatakan bahawa untuk memuktamadkan terma dan rujukan RCI mengambil masa sekurang-kurangnya 6 bulan dan maksimum 2 tahun.
ReplyDeleteRCI benar2 amat diperlukan di Sabah, oleh itu penubuhannya harus disegerakan. terma dan rujukan bagi RCI perlu perlu disegerakan.
ReplyDeleteThe Cabinet has agreed to set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) in an effort to find a lasting solution to the illegal immigrant problem in Sabah.
ReplyDeleteMinister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Nazri Abdul Aziz said the process of preparing terms of reference of the RCI has started after the Cabinet made the decision on Feb 8.
ReplyDeleteThe terms of reference will be comprehensive and not confined only to investigations as the government wants to resolve the issue conclusively, he said when responding to a question from Senator Datuk Paul Kong Sing Chu in the Dewan Negara.
ReplyDeleteNazri said that the terms of reference would entail safety, social, economy and environmental aspects as the RCI would provide a lasting solution to the issue.
ReplyDeleteHe said the federal government would also get feedback and proposals from the Sabah government and stakeholders.
ReplyDeleteIt must be treated with urgency and not wait until the matter gets worse and beyond control.
ReplyDeleteSuch activities under whose patronage such heinous and treacherous acts are committed should be arrested and investigated and given the right punishment without delay.
ReplyDeleteApart from that, the Election Commission ought to take note of the development and revelation by the Semporna Bumiputera Bajau Association leadership : the Home Ministry should also go down the ground to look into the matter.
ReplyDelete