Wide-ranging terms of reference for RCI

The following are the eight terms of reference for the royal commission of inquiry on Sabah's illegal immigrant problem announced by Prime Minister Najib Razak in Kota Kinabalu today.

The RCI will be headed by former chief judge of Sabah and Sarawak Steve Shim. The five-member panel has been given six months, likely to be by next February, to deliver it findings.

Terms of reference

• To determine the number of immigrants in Sabah that have been given blue identity cards or identity cards or citizenship and if so whether these documents or citizenship was done legally.

• To investigate whether the issuance of blue identity cards or citizenship to immigrants in Sabah was in accordance with the law.

• To investigate whether immigrants in Sabah holding blue identity cards, temporary identification receipts (blue) or citizenship documents had been illegally registered into the electoral rolls.

• To probe whether the authorities had taken any action or carried out any improvements to standard operating procedures (SOP), measures and regulations to avoid any infringement of the law.

• To investigate in detail the SOP, measures and regulations relating to the issuance of blue identity cards or citizenship to immigrants in Sabah by taking into account international standards and norms used in Malaysia and to reccommend any amendments or changes to strengthen or improve the SOP, measures and regulations.

• To investigate the reasons for the increase in Sabah's population in the following categories: 
  
  i) Sabahans living in the state, including those accorded blue identity cards and citizenship through late registration of birth; 
  
  ii) foreign workers (including their families);
  
  iii) illegal immigrants (including their families); 
  
  iv) refugees;
  
  and their impact on the electoral roll.

• To investigate the social implications of the issuance of blue identity cards or citizenship to immigrants in the state on Sabahans.

• To determine the number of foreigners in Sabah who have been given blue identity cards or citizenship by taking into account their stateless status.