STATEMENTBY YB. DATUK DR. JEFFREY KITINGANAT RCI HEARING ON 17 JULY 2013

RCI COURT STATEMENT

Q.What do you know about the issue related to the huge presence of illegal immigrants in Sabah and “Project IC”?

A.I was the IDS Chief between 1986-1991 who headed the first Transient Population Study in 1989-1990.I also had a personal encounter with an NRD officer in 1990 (in Prang) regarding “Project IC” going through the department. My personal conversations with fellow ISA detainees. My personal experiences and research.  The books written by Mutalib MD( ) and the one “Lest We Forget” by Dr Chong Eng Leong.

Causes of Problems

My personal views based on my observations and all the evidences given at this hearing is that we are facing all these problems of extra-ordinary population growth, increasing illegal immigrants, rising social instability, border insecurity as well as political dis-enfranchisement of the Sabah natives  are due to the following failure of the Federal and State Governments to enforce the laws of the country
corruption and selfish interest of individuals, including enforcement personnel deliberate political manipulation by certain quarters to Malaynize and colonize Sabah (Agenda Malaya) Failure of Sabah leaders to defend and safeguard the rights and sovereignty of Sabah.

A process of disempowering Sabah

All of these problems of illegal immigrants with ICs are mere symptoms or consequences of the above failures, including a deliberate failure or inaction by the powers that be. Sabah have become powerless and dependent on Kuala Lumpur who then took advantage of the situation for its own political agenda at the expense of Sabah.  Your Honour,  if you let me I shall explain….

Personal Knowledge and Information

Way back in 1988 when I was the IDS Chief the problems and potential problems of a growing illegal immigrants problems are officially brought to the attention of the Federal Government by then PBS Sabah Government following a comprehensive Transient Population study by IDS which found :
a growing security threats
a potential political tthreats
a growing social burden etc.
posed by the presence of large numbers of foreign population and illegal immigrants and squatter colonies.  Based on this growing phenomena - it was predicted then in that study that by 2006 the Bumiputra population in Sabah would be surpassed by the foreign population and by 2014 the entire local population would be drowned by them.  If nothing was done to correct the alarming situation.  In fact it was the then Chief Minister of Sabah, Joseph Pairin Kitingan, himself who brief the then Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamed.

No action was ever taken.

Instead, a Special Task Force was established to take over the study from IDS.  Soon there were more refugees, more illegal immigrants and some of these people were getting documents, including blue IDs.  By 1990 thousands were already in the electoral roll. Was it possible that the information from the Study was used by certain quarters to manipulate the political situation in Sabah?

In 1990, when I reported my lost IC, I had my first encounter with the so called “Project IC”.  A registration officer invited me to his room and said:

“I am very sad.  I am a Muslim but I am also a Sabahan and I feel very sad because this is happening in my Country…(then he showed me a bundle of documents, a bounded list of ICs given to foreigners (illegal immigrants).  A half an inch thick document, which he later passed to me.  The document contains a list of foreigners given blue ICs, up to 60,000 in that documents.  He said:

“This is only a small part. There are more work in progress coming from our HQ….”

“Some of my colleagues have been arrested under ISA after having been used to processed these documents”  he said.  “that’s why I am very sad”.

The list of names were for those whose ICs have been processed to enable foreigners to vote in the 1990 election.   I then gave this document to the PBS President.

This is my point to show that the Government has not only failed to safeguard the sovereignty of our nation but is an active participant in breaking the laws of our own country.

Why?

Because certain quarters have certain political agenda  I think the agenda is nothing more than the Agenda to take political control of Sabah to Malaynized and Colonized it! 

How?
By issuing IDs to foreigners and illegal immigrants and naming their race as "Malays" and their religion as "Islam".

Otherwise why would Mahathir be involved as stated by certain witnesses?  Or why would the officers of the NRD be involved and why would Harris defend the actions of the Federal Government in his Biography book?

I also had the opportunity of meeting fellow detainees in Kamunting in 1991-1994 (many of whom were detained for various immigration and ID related cases.  Most of them were Government officers and they too related the same story of a certain Minister’s involvement.

FOCUS ON THE SOLUTION

There is no point for me to talk about the problems as there have been more than sufficient evidences from many of the previous witnesses.  So Your Honour, let me focus on the proposed solutions….

Law Enforcement

First and fore most, we should enforce the laws of the country.  Laws are meant to be enforced.  But we have failed to enforce the laws.  Why ?
corruption
selfish – self interest
political interferences
Federal Government / UMNO’s Political agenda? Eg. Project IC/ Ops Durian Buruk
Do not care?

Sabah Government Rights and Duty

The Sabah Government must take full responsibility of its rights and duties on State immigration as provided for under the 20 Points, IGC and the Malaysia Agreement 1963.  Successive Sabah Governments have failed to do this except for Tan Sri Chong Kah Kiat for a brief period of two years under the Rotation System of Chief Ministers.

Sabah’s role in Citizenship

The Sabah Government must insist on its role and responsibility on citizenship and the Department of National Registration because a Federal Citizen does not mean that the Malaysian individual is also a Sabah Citizen.

Sabah’s Role in State Security

Although National Security is a Federal matter, the Sabah Government has a stake and a responsibility on State Security.

In fact, as evidenced by the various testimonies in the hearing, the Sulu invasions/ intrusions, etc…. The Federal Government has failed in its responsibility to make Sabah secure.   Hence, the Sabah Government must play its part in providing State security by establishing its own Security Ministry/Department.

The Federal Government is in fact, part and parcel of this insecurity dilemma by its involvement in giving ICs to Philippines in Mindanao citizens and even knowing fully well that these people have an unresolved claim over Sabah.

Establish a Sabah Homeland Security Ministry

To implement the above and to enforce the laws together with the Federal Authorities, the Sabah Government should establish a State Homeland Security Ministry and appoint a senior State Cabinet Minister to oversee this responsibilities including Sabah’s role in:-
Immigration
Citizenship / National Registration
Foreign labour
State Security
Documentation

Issuance of Sabah IC and Non-Sabahan IC

Sabah Government should implement issuance of a Sabah IC to all its citizens and a Non-Sabahan Resident IC to all Non-citizens residing in Sabah.  The Federal Government should recall all the MYkad/ICs and re-issue fresh ones and restore the codes for the three geographical regions, ie, H for Sabah, K for Sarawak and A for Semenanjung to be consistent with the Malaysia Agreement as Sabah and Sarawak have their own State Rights to be respected and honoured.   To me, the doing away away of these codes is part and parcel of the agenda to erode our State rights.

This Sabah IC and Non-Sabahan Resident IC would also achieve the following:-
Document all individuals residing in Sabah with their bio-data using latest Bio-metric security features only Sabah citizens can and should vote in Sabah State Elections
the Sabah IC and the Federal IC can act as counter check against each other on foreign population in Sabah. The Sabah Government should also ensure a special feature to identify natives and non natives in this Sabah IC.

Revenues on Immigration /Foreign Labour and Sabah ICs

All Revenues accruing from the above should be collected by the State as State revenues.  There are presently about 1 million foreign workers in Sabah.  Based on this figure, Sabah can collect at least RM1.4 billion in yearly revenues.

Sabah Government  not State Government

The State Government in Sabah should be called the Sabah Government to avoid confusing with Semenanjung States Governments and to respect the status of Sabah / Sarawak as partners of Malaya to form the Federal Government of Malaysia.

Revive the IGC

The Federal Government of Malaysia, Sarawak Government and the Sabah Government should sit down together and discuss the reactivation of the Inter-Government committee as an important mechanism to resolve Federal State problems and issues that are relevant only to Sabah – Sarawak including the issues of Immigration!

Let this committee formulate policies that affect the rights of Sabah and Sarawak as per the 20 Points, IGCR and the Malaysia Agreement 1963.

Security and foreign labour and political franchise of Sabah and Sarawak in line with what Tunku Abdul Rahman the Father of Malaysia said:-

“The important aspect of the Malaysia ideal, as I see it, is that it will enable the Borneo territories to transform their present colonial states to Self Government for themselves and ABSOLUTE INDEPENDENCE in MALAYSIA simultaneously….TAR.

“The days of imperialism are gone and it is not the intention of Malaya to perpetuate or revive them  When the Borneo territories become part of Malaysia, they will cease to be colonies (of Malaya) they will be PARTNERS OF EQUAL STATUS, no more and no less than the other States (of Singapore, Sarawak and Malaya).

Establish and Activate a Non-Partisan Sabah Homeland Security Commission

Immediately after this RCI completes its task, the Sabah Government should immediately establish a Non-partisan Sabah Homeland Security Commission to formulate policies and action plans to resolve the problems related to the illegal immigrants and related problems, issuance of Sabah IC and the establishment of the Ministry of Homeland Security, Sabah.

Conclusion

Whatever the solutions and the follow up actions to be taken the Federal Government and Sabah Government must take into account the following:-

The Foreign Labour dependence of the Sabah Economy
Abuse of power cannot be condoned by the laws and by society – punish the culprits
We can have large presence of foreign population, that is not the issue. Issues are :
laws must be enforced
issuance of citizenship should not be abused for selfish political agendas
There are three components to the Federation of Malaysia with their special rights and status.

I would conclude that the root of the whole problem is the intention to colonize through "reverse ethnic cleansing" and the non-compliance of the 20-Points and the Malaysia Agreement.  It is nothing more than the failures of Sabah leaders to protect and safeguard our Rights and Sabah's sovereignty.

Datuk Dr. Jeffrey Kitingan
17 July 2013