Mahathir's denials not surprising: Bumburing

 

(Daily Express) 

Kota Kinabalu: Denials by former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad on his alled involvement in granting ICs to illegals at the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on illegal immigrants in Sabah recently were to be expected.

"I am not at all surprised by the statement given by Mahathir and I believe the people of Sabah are not surprised at all, albeit disappointed," said Sabah Reform Movement chief, Datuk Wilfred Bumburing.

"I had expected all this while the kind of lies and denials by Mahathir on the illegal immigrant issue in Sabah," he said, Tuesday.

Bumburing who is also Tamparuli Assemblyman said all the evidence given by most of those called to testify earlier except for a few people like former Chief Minister Tan Sri Harris Salleh and the Deputy Director of Immigration, all pointed to the invisible hand of Mahathir.

"He had either lied or is suffering from dementia or is senile.

I believe no Sabahan in their right frame of mind would believe whatever testimonies given by Mahathir," he said.

Bumburing said during Mahathir's long tenure at the helm of the government he had been denying that the government was giving out ICs to the illegal immigrant while at sametime justifying that these ICs were given only to those who were qualified.

"He had used his tight grip on the government to do whatever he liked.

He had also lied when he said that there is no immigration policy.

"While his government clearly encouraged or ignored the influx of foreigners in Sabah he had announced the infamous policy of "shoo or shoot" the Vietnamese boat people who fled their country in the late seventies and early eighties.

"This indeed is a double-standard immigration policy said Bumburing.

"The people of Sabah had agreed to join in the formation of Malaysia on the promise of security, justice, equality and prosperity of the local people.

Clearly to this date, this promise had not been fulfilled.

"The government had abandoned Sabah and left it to fend for itself in all fields competing daily with the influx of immigrants, which had suited their political agenda.

"The government also practised discriminatory policy, even among the bumiputeras, in all sectors by way of the undeclared silent policy of "Malay first".

"Ask any ordinary Kadazandusun, for example, and they feel that they have been treated as third class bumiputeras. The revenue from the oil from Sabah was used by Mahathir to build infrastructures in Semenanjung Malaysia and to finance his many mega projects leaving Sabah the poorest state in the country.

"I came to know about a recent unpublished report that Sabah is sliding down in the poverty ladder," he claimed.

He recalled when Mahathir was invited to officiate a function jointly-organised by the Kadazandusun Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Dayak Chamber of Commerce in Kuala Lumpur some years back.

In response to a point raised by the leaders of these two chambers as to why the Kadazandusun and Dayak did not equitably benefit from the new economic policy that the government had introduced, he simply said " terlimpas pandang" or oversight.

This proved that the two communities were not important in his government policy.

"His promise on special programmes to help the two communities is an empty promise until his retirement into "emeritus prime minister" status," he said.

Bumburing said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak's message to the people of Sabah on the occasion of the "50th National Day" that the government would not neglect Sabah and Sarawak proved that for 50 years the two states had not been at par with Malaya in terms development.

"His (Najib) statement also alludes to the notion that for 50 years Sabah indeed has been indirectly neglected by the Federal Government.

"If the government is serious and sincere in pulling Sabah and Sarawak out of their under-developed status and place them on the same level with the rest of the states in the country then the government must offer the people a very clear policy on the three main problems, especially in Sabah, namely the illegal immigrant issues, backward development and poverty.

The government must walk the talk," he said.

Bumburing said the term Independence Day for Malaysia was a misnomer.

"When we mention independence it implies colonialism. Malaysia as a country has never been colonised.

Malaysia is an entity of post independent Malaya, Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak.

"Therefore there should be one national celebration that is national day on Sept 16. Sabah, Sarawak and Malaya can celebrate their independence day separately," he said.

Bumburing said he concurred with Star Sabah chief, Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan that the 20-points will remain relevant for as along as Malaysia exists.