A panoramic view of Kota Kinabalu. Sabahans believe that the influx of illegals is the main cause of security problems in the state. – Wikimedia Commons pic, November 25, 2014.
This, according to the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, was because Putrajaya remained committed to table the report next month, whether in Dewan Rakyat or Dewan Negara.
"The term of reference for the RCI is not related to Parliament," said Shahidan, the Arau MP, to reporters after receiving a memorandum from Bersih 2.0 today.
"There is no need to pressure for the RCI report to be brought to Parliament," he added.
Bersih 2.0 previously urged Putrajaya to present the findings of the RCI in Parliament and to expand on it.
Shahidan said Putrajaya had agreed to present the report in Dewan Negara in December, adding that there was nothing to hide or cover-up.
"Whatever the findings of the RCI, Putrajaya will take the necessary action."
On November 20, Bersih 2.0 gave Putrajaya an ultimatum to table the RCI report by November 25, failing which they will seek a meeting with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
Angry over repeated delays in making the RCI report public, Bersih 2.0 wanted Najib to explain why lawmakers are not being allowed to debate and discuss it.
Bersih chair Maria Chin Abdullah said Najib had a moral obligation to make the report public.
"We will not accept any more delays since this issue has been waiting resolution as far back as the Likas petition in 1999," she said.
The Likas petition refers to a High Court case where a Filipino named Fuad Ari from Tawi-Tawi island had testified that he had obtained his identification card under a scheme known as "Projek IC".
Maria said the report should be tabled, even if it meant extending the current Parliament sitting which is due to end on November 27.
Najib was reported saying last week that the RCI report would be made public only in December but Bersih wanted it to be released in Parliament where MPs can debate it.
"We are not convinced by the prime minister's last-minute attempted assurance that the report will be made public next month."
"For one, there is scant detail about how it will be done, which leads us to see it as a red herring to subvert pressure on the original assurance," Maria said.
The report should be debated in Parliament, she added, because it "pertains to the very question of which party is truly the people's choice to be government".
The RCI on illegal immigrants in Sabah was held last year to probe claims that migrants were being given citizenship in exchange for votes for Barisan Nasional, the ruling party.
Its report was submitted to the King and Najib about six months ago.
Some 200 witnesses were called to testify, including former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who was said to be behind "Projek IC".
Some government officers have been detained under the now-repealed Internal Security Act for their alleged role in issuing Malaysian identity cards to illegal immigrants, but Bersih said that the former detention-without-trial law was being used to "purposely prevent the truth from being revealed in open court".
"Projek IC" has also been blamed as the reason for Sabah's rapid population boom, a sore point with many locals and opposition political parties there.
Bersih said the wrongs committed to the people of Sabah must be corrected, beginning with making the RCI report public.
The electoral reform group wanted the government to revamp the Sabah electoral roll, including deregistering those who obtained identity cards unlawfully.
It also wanted Sabah exempted from the Election Commission's impending re-delineation exercise on electoral boundaries, and from any increase in the number of constituencies which would worsen electoral fraud.
- TMI
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