Sabah population increases by 285%, whilst Malaysia's population iincreases by only 113% - something is very wrong..

There are BIG questions that the Barisan Nasional government, currently led by Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, has got to answer about Sabah's "new" citizens - persons who have since 30 years ago have suddenly become Malaysian citizens or have acquired PR Status. (Children where 1 parent has PR status are automatically citizens)

Many have called it an 'illegal migrant problem' - but I think that label causes confusion, which result in Migrant Rights and Human Rights groups reacting thinking that we are talking about the undocumented migrant/refugee problem. {I believe the BN government likes to use the term "illegal migrant proiblem" to the Sabah situation just to cause the confusion.....Recall to that the recent government response was arrest and deport the undocumented migrants ---- very evasive and certainly not looking at the the Sabah "new" citizen problem...}

The Sabah problem is a "new citizen" problem. Who are these "new citizens"? How did they acquire citizenship? How do we now deal with these "new citizens" and their citizen children today? Recent revelations by MP for Sepanggar, Datuk Eric Majimbun also reveals that true original citizens are also in some cases are also losing their citizenship...

"(7) The discrepancy in the percentage increase between Kadazan, Dusun, Murut on the one hand and other Bumiputera between 1970 and 2000 i.e. 236 per cent and 631 per cent respectively; ...

(9) The discrepancies in the population increase between 1970 to 2000 in Sabah, Sarawak and Malaysia: 10,439,430 to 22,202,614 or up by 113 percent in Malaysia; 976,269 to 2,012,616 or up by 106 percent in Sarawak; and 636,431 to 2,449,389 or up by 285 percent in Sabah." - Malaysiakini, 6/10/2008 - Sapp: 'Loopholes' behind IC scam

These new facts, were amongst the many other points that were disclosed by MP for Sepanggar, Datuk Eric Majimbun. (See below for more points raised as found in the Malaysiakini report...)

Evidence of illegal issuance of MyKad to foreigners will be released by the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) tomorrow.

The MP for Sepanggar, Datuk Eric Majimbun, said he would reveal the details that led to a population explosion in the state.

"Just imagine, our population increased by 285 per cent between 1970 and 2000," he said. "I will bare all, including proof of people not born in Sabah becoming Malaysian citizens (in Sabah)." - The New Straits Times, 3/10/2008 - SAPP to show proof of Sabah MyKad scandal

Related to this, was the answer in Parliament in 2006 with regard the ethnic composition of Sabahans

Who are the “Other Bumiputera” and Other Ethnic Groups” in Sabah? According to an answer to Teresa Kok (DAP Seputeh), the PM Department said that there are 436,300 “Other Bumiputera” and 143,500 “Other Ethnic Groups” in Sabah. These constituted 25.9 percent of the Sabah population.

The composition of ethnic groups in Sabah as of March 206:

Melayu 342,500 15.3%
Kadazan/Dusun 530,000 23.7%
Bajau 399,300 17.8%
Murut 98,400 4.4%
Bumiputera Lain 436,300 19.5%
Cina 287,200 12.8%
Lain-lain Etnik 143,500 6.4%
Jumlah Warganegara 2,237,100 100.0% (75.1%)
Bukan Warganegara 743,600 (24.9%)
Jumlah 2,980,700 (100.0%)

The question is who are the “Other Bumiputera” and “Other Ethnic Groups” that cannot be classified according to a particular ethnic group. Are these “citizens” non-indigenous to Sabah? - taken from the Blog of Chow Kon Yeow

Some interesting BN governmental responses:-

Mohd Najib Razak - Deputy Prime Minister

He dismissed Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s comment in Kota Kinabalu on Saturday that “there could have been administrative errors at the state NRD but this will be put right. No one will be victimised." - - Malaysiakini, 6/10/2008 - Sapp: 'Loopholes' behind IC scam

Nazri Aziz

A state ruling coalition leader has taken Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz to task for making light of the concerns of Sabahan over the growing menace posed by the large presence of illegal immigrants in the state.

Sabah Progressive Party (Sapp) leader Tham Nyip Shen, who is also state science and technology advisor, said he was 'utterly shocked' that Nazri could have said in Parliament recently “that the presence of foreigners, including those with IMM13 documents, did not cause social, security and economic problems in Sabah.” - Malaysiakini, 8/7/2006 Sabah leader blasts Nazri over immigrant remark

In 2007, the Parliamentary Select Committee tried to look into this but alas the National Registration Department refused to turn up, and...

“It is a serious matter and indicates an unbecoming attitude of an agency when a meeting called by the Parliamentary Select Committee can be rejected.

“This is also disrespectful to Parliament and reflects the standard and quality of administration of this country,” Ramon said in a statement today.

He also called for Dompok’sposition as chairperson of the PSCI to be reinstated and that the NRD be held accountable for the issuance of identity cards in Sabah where there is apparent widespread abuse.

“Tough disciplinary action must be taken against individuals and agencies that do not heed parliamentary meetings seriously,” he added. - Malaysiakini, 19/5/2007 - Kit Siang and groups support Dompok

.... the Chairman of that Parliamentary Select Committee resigned...

Dompok’s decision to resign from the bi-partisan committee followed Lim’s question on why a scheduled committee meeting yesterday with National Registration Department (NRD) into a fake identity card scandal in Sabah dubbed ‘Project M’ was suddenly cancelled.

Test of strength

The NRD has refused to appear before the committee - a move which Nazri has supported. - - Malaysiakini, 19/5/2007 - Kit Siang and groups support Dompok

It is obvious that the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister and the BN generally have no interest in investigating the "new" citizens of Sabah, and how they suddenly became citizens. Why? Maybe, because the whole situation has benefited UMNO - who certainly is today the dominant BN component party in Sabah, a situation which would not, most likely not be if the ethnic composition remained the same as it was in 1970.

Even in Semenanjung Malaysia, some say that the difference of the ethnic composition in 2008, compared to that in 1957 raises some questions as to whether there were "new" citizens also created here. Different birth rates among the ethnic groups do not explain the difference.

There must be an investigation into this issue of the "new" citizens of Sabah (and maybe even Malaysia) - and the guilty must be exposed and penalized.

With regard the "new" citizens and their now citizen children, that will be a difficult problem to resolve BUT the whole community must come together and find a solution.

Many of these "new" citizens and their children have become Malaysian, have lived and studied in Malaysia - so the solution may not be the stripping of citizenship or the deportation to some other country.

The term "illegal migrant problem" - probable a term that the UMNO led BN government would like to use to confuse the issue especially in Malaysia. Why? Because most Malaysians immediately start thinking about the undocumented migrants in Malaysia who have been around for a couple of years or so... The "new" citizen problem of Sabah is very very different...

Anyway, back to that Malaysiakini report, and the other points raised by Eric Majimbun

Cases in point

Majimbun highlighted some pertinent facts and figures the bureau has collated in recent days:

1) The case of Filipino, Jerom Maguil, who was issued MyKad 5609030-12-5739 (old IC No: H0540992) under the name of Jerom Majimbon and staying in Eric Majimbun’s village in Inanam, Kampung Pomotodon. Inanam is in the outlying regions of greater Kota Kinabalu.

The case file includes a letter that Eric wrote to the Home Ministry secretary-general on Oct 4 last year on the case, with copies to the NRD in Kuala Lumpur and the state NRD; the reply from the Home Ministry in Parliament confirming that Jerom Majimbon a.k.a Jerom Maguil was not entitled to the MyKad he was holding.

The fact remains the MyKad has not been withdrawn, neither has Majimbon been deported. There was no reply to the Oct 4 letter;

2) The history of statements from residents in Kampong Pomotodon bringing the presence of Jerom Majimbon a.k.a. Jerom Maguil to MP Eric Majimbun’s attention;

3) The case file of a Sino-Dusun, Thien Kau Pah B Kian Kim, 60, born and bred in Kampung Melaka, Jalan Kionsom, Inanam, Kota Kinabalu and issued a MyPR and not the MyKad to which he is entitled when he had to change his old blue IC. His appeals were not entertained;

4) The state NRD replacing the MyKad of a senior citizen, Yong Lee Hua @ Piang Lin, 78, a native, with a MyPR (permanent resident status) after she lost her MyKad to a picket pocket on Feb 12 last year at a supermarket in Penampang Baru, an outlying region of Kota Kinabalu, on the grounds that “senior citizens who lose their MyKads are given the MyPR as replacement”;

5) Some cases of passport-holding foreigners from Philippines and Indonesia who have one or two of their children becoming Malaysian citizens although their other children are not citizens;

6) 65,000 Filipino refugees were issued the IMM13 refugee documents in the 1970s, according to the federal government. More recently, the federal government cited the same figures for 2008 raising various questions on the subject: how many have been given citizenship, permanent residence and bumiputera status?

7) The discrepancy in the percentage increase between Kadazan, Dusun, Murut on the one hand and other Bumiputera between 1970 and 2000 i.e. 236 per cent and 631 per cent respectively;

8) The problem of children of inter-marriages being classified as sino-natives and not as natives; and

9) The discrepancies in the population increase between 1970 to 2000 in Sabah, Sarawak and Malaysia: 10,439,430 to 22,202,614 or up by 113 percent in Malaysia; 976,269 to 2,012,616 or up by 106 percent in Sarawak; and 636,431 to 2,449,389 or up by 285 percent in Sabah.

“The situation we are in right now calls for a change (in attitude) in government,” said Majimbun.

“We are already being marginalised in all aspects. What will happen to our future generations? People should not simply say that we are touching on a sensitive issue. We are talking about something that concerns the future of our children and the future generations.”

Majimbun pledged that all information gathered by his bureau would be brought to the attention of the federal and state governments “to let them know and take these matters seriously”.- Malaysiakini, 6/10/2008 - Sapp: 'Loopholes' behind IC scam