SABAH RCI The number of foreigners awarded citizenship in Sabah from 1963 to 2012 was more than 11 times that in Sarawak, the royal commission of inquiry has been told.
The 63rd witness - Sarawak National Registration Department (NRD) director Abu Bakar Mat - said in that period, 5,373 people became naturalised citizens in Sarawak.
"In Sabah, the number was about 66,000 in the same period," conducting officer Manoj Kurup said during the proceedings at the Kota Kinabalu High Court today.
Asked why he thought the difference was so vast, Abu Bakar (right) said that it is likely due to Sabah's porous borders, especially along the coast.
"Personally, I feel Sarawak is different in terms of location and politically," he said.
"Sabah is closer to the Philippines and it is this geographical factor which may have led to a flood of foreign migrants, but this did not reach Sarawak."
The 63rd witness - Sarawak National Registration Department (NRD) director Abu Bakar Mat - said in that period, 5,373 people became naturalised citizens in Sarawak.
"In Sabah, the number was about 66,000 in the same period," conducting officer Manoj Kurup said during the proceedings at the Kota Kinabalu High Court today.
Asked why he thought the difference was so vast, Abu Bakar (right) said that it is likely due to Sabah's porous borders, especially along the coast."Personally, I feel Sarawak is different in terms of location and politically," he said.
"Sabah is closer to the Philippines and it is this geographical factor which may have led to a flood of foreign migrants, but this did not reach Sarawak."
He said that Sabah can curb the influx of illegal migrants by beefing up immigration and security controls at the borders and setting up more immigration gateways to facilitate genuine entries.
Abu Bakar also said that, in Sarawak, statutory declarations alone are insufficient as proof of citizenship.
He said that in cases where applicants do not have birth certificates, they will need declarations from village heads or thetuai rumah of longhouses.
"We also conduct interviews with the village heads to ensure the declarations are genuine," he said.
The Sarawak NRD also stopped accepting 'certificates of status' issued by government appointees by end of 1988.
[More to follow]
Abu Bakar also said that, in Sarawak, statutory declarations alone are insufficient as proof of citizenship.
He said that in cases where applicants do not have birth certificates, they will need declarations from village heads or thetuai rumah of longhouses.
"We also conduct interviews with the village heads to ensure the declarations are genuine," he said.
The Sarawak NRD also stopped accepting 'certificates of status' issued by government appointees by end of 1988.
[More to follow]
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