KOTA KINABALU: The state government is considering an appeal to lift the suspension on the issuance of native certificates to those of mixed Chinese and Kadazan Dusun Murut (KDM) descent, enabling them to enjoy Sabah Bumiputera rights.
State local government and housing minister Masidi Manjun said he met Sabah Sino Kadazan Dusun Murut Association president Johnny Goh, who made the appeal, to discuss the matter.
Goh had said the 1982 freeze on the issuance of the native certificates, or Sijil Anak Negeri, made life difficult for the Sino-KDM community or Sino natives.
“We will obviously be looking into it, to find out whether it’s the proper time to lift the restriction,” Masidi said, when met after an event here today.
He said the government needed to come up with a better mechanism to issue the certificates, which comes under the purview of Masidi’s ministry, to prevent abuses that took place in the past.
“I know it has been too long but we are trying to rectify the system. I can assure you we are trying our best and that we are actually in contact with many stakeholders to make it easier for us to decide when to lift the freeze.
“What’s important is to put in place more stringent measures and conditions on the process of hearing applications and granting it so that it is somewhat watertight, so there will be minimal abuse.”
Goh made the call to lift the freeze after the Sarawak state assembly passed the Interpretation (Amendment) Bill 2022, which among others, will consider a child from an intermarriage a native even if only one of the child’s parents is a native. The previous requirement was that both parents must be Sarawak natives.
Under a special provision approved by the late Tunku Abdul Rahman when he was prime minister, a person identifying with the Sino-KDM community could claim native status if the individual was the offspring of one native parent and lived 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 public institutions of higher learning under the Bumiputera quota.
The Berjaya government suspended the issuance of the certificates after it found that non-indigenous persons were fraudulently obtaining them to acquire native land and other Bumiputera benefits.
Speaking to FMT, Goh welcomed Masidi’s comments. He expressed hope that the conundrum faced by the Sino-KDM community would come to an end after a 40-year wait.
He urged the state government to consult his association over the new mechanism for issuing the certificates so that potential problems could be ironed out.
“Of course we will be very happy if the issuance is reinstated but the enforcement must also be tight because we also want to avoid a repeat of previous abuses,” he said.
He added that the Sino-KDM community felt it was unfair for the vast majority of them to continue shouldering the consequences of the actions of a few unscrupulous individuals in the past.
Former Kota Kinabalu district chief William Majimbon told FMT that the process of applying for a native certificate must go through the native court. It could involve interviews with a number of individuals, including village chiefs, to verify the status of the applicant.
The district officer will, after being satisfied that all requirements are fulfilled, approve the application for the native court to issue the certificate. - FMT
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