Musa must testify at RCI, says Bumburing

A witness testimony that Sabah Umno liason chief Musa Aman was 'tasked' to recruit illegals for Umno in the 1990s makes it vital that he takes to the stand.

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman must be called to testify in the ongoing Royal Commission of Inquiry on illegal immigrants especially since he was ‘tasked’ with recruiting foreigners to become Umno members and thus voters.

Former Upko deputy chairman Wilfred Bumburing said Musa must explain to the people of Sabah his role as head of an Umno Special Task Force created in 1991.

The Pakatan Rakyat assemblyman’s call followed former senator Dr Chong En Leong’s testimony at the RCI on Monday that Umno had set up the special task force and had appointed Musa as its chairman.

According to Bumburing, who is Tamparuli assemblyman, the 69-year-old surgeon had told the RCI that the task force was formed to find foreigners, register them as Umno members and ensure that they voted for Barisan Nasional.

Chong said this information was related to him by one Jabar Khan, who was the secretary of the task force.

Chong reportedly said the influx of illegal immigrants into Sabah had eroded the social economic rights of local Sabahans.

He said the demographic outlook of Sabah had also been altered forever due to Umno’s actions.

“I have suggested before that this problem of illegal immigrants getting Malaysian ICs through dubious means seem to have its source rooted within the core leadership of the BN leaders,” Bumburing said in a statement today.

He disclosed that after being challenged in June 2010 by then Home Minister to back his allegations, he had submitted a memorandum calling for quick action.

The memorandum, he said, contained some of the proof that the Home Minister had demanded and had called for the revocation of all identity cards issued via dubious means.

Bumburing, who heads a pro-opposition NGO Angkatan Perubahan Sabah (APS), also pointed out that he had explained to the Home Ministry that the presence of these illegal immigrants would pose a serious threat to the national security especially the sovereignty of Sabah.

But it was obvious now that the federal and state Umno leaders were in cohorts and had refused to heed to all the warnings and information pertaining to this issue.

The RCI, he said, had now brought these issues to light through the testimonies of the witnesses.

“Musa therefore has a noble responsibility and owed it to the people of Sabah to explain himself and the best platform to do so would be to stand before the RCI and give his testimony,” Bumburing said.