NGO sets terms for RCI in Sabah

The RCI for Sabah must charge wrongdoers with sedition and treason and not just for falsification of official documents, noted the Human Rights Foundation.

KOTA KINABALU: A United Kingdom-based Human Rights Foundation Malaysia (HRFM) has suggested a set a 15-point term of reference (TOR) for the proposed setting up of a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) on the perennial issues of illegal immigrants, dubious Malaysian identity cards and phantom voters in Sabah.

One of the senior advisors of the London-based foundation, Daniel John Jambun, said a committee has been set-up under HRFM to study issues of sovereignty, disenfranchisement and the Malaysia Agreement.

Jambun, a political economist said the committee had come up with the TOR to help both the federal government and the parliament in the setting up for the RCI for the said purpose.

Recently, parliament accepted the preliminary proposal from its select committee (PSC) on electoral reforms to have the RCI set-up after the committee carried out a public hearing in the immigrant-plagued state of Sabah weeks ago.

Jambun, a political economist, said the TOR for the RCI must reflect and take into account the 15 concerns or points that mirrored what Sabahans had wanted from the RCI.

He also pointed out the TOR was specific about wanting criminal charges to be brought against the wrongdoers and those involved in the heinous crime of issuing MyKads to illegal immigrants and padding the electoral rolls with their names.

They must be charged with sedition and treason and not something relatively minor like the falsification of official documents, followed by the proverbial slap on the wrist.

Failing which, Jambun, cautioned the RCI will render itself a hoax, irrelevant and just a smokescreen by the ruling party ahead of an impending general election and subject itself whole to ridicule.

Ferret out wrongdoers

Among the terms set out by TOR for the RCI are:

• The poser over the extraordinary increase in population in Sabah since 1963 vis-à-vis neighbouring Sarawak which had a higher population than Sabah in 1963 and now has a much lower population comparatively;

• How many people in Sabah are citizens; permanent residents; temporary residents; stateless; illegal immigrants; and foreigners with valid travel papers;

• How many of the names on the electoral rolls are phantom voters drawn from dubious citizens and/or foreigners and measures to clean up the Electoral Rolls;

• The rise in the number of Muslim state seats from 20 in 1994 to 32 subsequently while the number of non-Muslim Native/Chinese seats remained at 28;

• The rise in the number of Muslim parliamentary seats from 8 in 1994 to 13 subsequently while the number of non-Muslim Native/Chinese seats remained at 12;

• Why the number of non-Muslim Natives in Sabah have been falling dramatically since 1963;

• How many genuinely non-Muslim Natives in Sabah have been classified as Muslims by the National Registration Department;

• Enlist the help and testimony of genuine Malaysian citizens in Sabah to meet the objectives of the RCI;

• Investigate why the Election Commission has rushed through Parliament a law stating that the Electoral Rolls cannot be challenged once gazetted;

• Criminal charges to be brought against NRD, and Elections Commission officials who participated in the heinous crime of issuing MyKads to illegal immigrants and padding the electoral rolls with their names. The charge can be one of sedition and treason and not something relatively minor like the falsification of official documents followed by the proverbial slap on the wrist.