End 40-year suspension of native certs, says Sabah association

 

Ewon Benedick (third from right) and Johnny Goh (to Benedick’s right) at a book launch in Kota Kinabalu in 2020.

KOTA KINABALU: An association representing Sabahans of mixed Chinese and Kadazan Dusun Murut (KDM) descent has called on the state government to lift the suspension on the issuance of native certificates which has been in place for the past 40 years.

Sabah Sino Kadazan Dusun Murut Association president Johnny Goh said the 1982 freeze on the issuance of the native certificates, or Sijil Anak Negeri, has made life difficult for the Sino-KDM community or Sino natives.

“This has gone on for far too long,” he told FMT.

“Sabah was the first (before Sarawak) to grant children of mixed marriages native status, but the suspension has somewhat put us ‘backwards’.

“I urge the Sabah government to consider lifting the suspension following Sarawak’s  move to recognise children from a mixed marriage as natives.”

Former Sabah rural development minister Ewon Benedick has also urged the state government to emulate Sarawak, adding that he had always maintained Sino-KDMs are natives.

“Make children of mixed marriages between Chinese Sabahans and any native persons  automatically natives,” the Upko vice-president told FMT.

Earlier this month, the Sarawak state assembly passed the Interpretation (Amendment) Bill 2022, which among others, would consider a child from a mixed marriage a native even if only one of the child’s parents is a native.

The previous requirement was that both parents must be a Sarawak native.

Under a special provision approved by the late Tunku Abdul Rahman when he was prime minister, a person identifying with the Sino-KDM community can claim native status if the individual is the offspring of one native parent and lives as a member of the community.

The native certificates allow their holders to enjoy the special rights of a Sabah Bumiputera such as acquiring land, opening an Amanah Saham Bumiputera (ASB) account, as well as enrolling in higher public learning institutions.

The Berjaya government stopped issuing the certificates after it found that non-indigenous persons were fraudulently obtaining them to acquire native land and other Bumiputera benefits.

The late Liew Vui Keong, when he was the law minister during Pakatan Harapan’s rule, had said the federal government was planning to review the freeze on the issuance of the native certificates. However, there was no further news on the matter up to the time the PH government fell in 2020. - FMT