Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Sabah papers intentional attempt to incite KDM


Other than the Perkara 20 or 18 in Sarawak, one popular political myth in Sabah that have been allowed to linger on too long and left not countered or explained effectively had been the illegal immigrant issue.

The claim was that illegal immigrants were given IC to vote for Barisan Nasional and helped to topple the then opposition government led by Datuk Pairin Kitingan's PBS.

To settle this illegal immigrant issue claim once and for all, the Royal Commission on Inquiry (RCI) for the illegal immigrants issue started yesterday.

However, few Sabah newspapers and the usually twisted opposition portals like The Malaysian Insiders, Malaysiakini etc spinned their report for the first day of RCI yesterday.

It is intentional and insidious.



One of the witness was reported to have said that some 73,000 immigrants were given blue IC. These media chose to subtly "highlight" the major charactertistic of these naturalised Malaysians are Muslims.

This has a clear motive to incite the Kadazan Dazan Murut (KDM) community that have long been poisoned to believe that it was intended to dilute the number of the largest racial segment in Sabah. KDM practise a mixed array of religion but the majority are predominantly Muslims.

The Sabah paper is below:


The usual devil's covert portal can be read HERE, HERE, and the idiot one HERE

In a predominantly rural population of Sabah, these kind of simplistic and sweeping accusation have a tendency to spread and believed upon easily.

The truth to the matter is simple.

For the short denial, such simplistic generatlisation is not true. It is not only Muslims that received blue IC but also other races including Chinese.

The long answer for any of the thinking readers is to understand the regional political condition of the times. The southermn part of Phillines, particularly in the island of Mindanao and the nearby islands had been in a state of war for along time.


During the Marcos regime, they were trying to dilute the Muslim population of Mindanao by transfering Christian Phillipines from elsewhere. This has lead to a struggle for independence by political groups and later evolved into freedom fighters.

There was a short reprise for only a few years whereby Nur Misuari became Governor before he was captured in Malaysia and handed over to the Phillipines.

It was only  resolved recently and only then did Mindanao practically gained autonomy. To give compliment where it is due, it happened during Najib. That is the solution to the Mindanao and illegal immigrant problem. [Read The Star here.]

Basically, the area had been in a constant flux.

These so-called illegal immigrants are indigenous or "pribumi" of Sabah and near areas. Historically, they  have been moving in and out between the Phillipines and Sabah.

A close anthropological study will show that there are many common people found in Sabah and Phillipines like the Bajau, Bisaya, etc. Lajim's Bisaya can be found to as far as Sarawak. They were part of highly mobile maritime region of  Nusantara or Malay archipelago.

That is why Javanese or Bugis or Bajar is as much a Pribumi in Malaya or Sumatra or Borneo. The ease in which people of different areas move to other areas is the willingness to assimilate with the local culture and practise while maintaining their culture.

As the Malay proverb, "Masuk kandang kambing mengembak, masuk kandang lembu menguak." The Nusantara has a tradition of berkelana. 


Naturally, when war broke out and lasted for decades and perhaps more than half a century, some of the population will move away for safety to others areas within their natural abode, like moving to Sabah.

These people have been there for ages and have a natural rights under a Jus Sanguine principle to be citizens. This point is raised to tell those Chinese DAPs or SAPPs to shut up and not interfere.

It is slightly different from the citizenship given to Chinese in Malaya prior to Merdeka under a Jus Soli arrangement. Chinese or Indian are not indigenoeous people or original popullants of Malaya but are given citizenship by our rulers and leaders.

Despite widespread resistance and pockets of such sentiment can still be found among the older Malays, our forefathers did it against popular opinions because we wanted to build a nation.

In the spirit of nation building, these stateless status immigrants were given citizenship. What is 73,000 over a long period of time in comparison to 2-4 million Sabah population?

These so-called illegal immigrants have more natural rights than immigrants from a faraway land with alien culture, religion and lifestyle.

Itu pun sekarang ramai sudah besar kepala dan mahu ketepikan warisan dan tuntutan adat, ugama dan pentadbiran orang asal. 

This not an attempt to tell Chinese or Indians that they should not have been citizens but telling history plainly to understand that this country averted a Rohingya-like problem. .

Back to the Muslim status of immigrants in the RCI, one will naturally find that the main characteristic of immigrants are Muslims because they are being prosecuted and diluted by Marcos. There is no reason for the Christians to run and live a life as political refugees.


After being here for so long and for many generations, these people do not have any more roots in Mindanao. No more property or immediate family. For that matter, they have adopted Malaysia as their country.

During the political turmoil days of  the trio of CMs - Tun Mustapha-Harris Salleh-Pairin Kitingan, they  would have cheered for the Malaysian trio strikers of Mokhar Dahari, Shukor Salleh and Sabahan James Wong in any football match against any other country, including Phillipines. [Read The Star report here.]

This is but an insidious attempt by newspapers to incite the KDM community to despise the Barisan Nasional government and sway the votes for Pakatan Rakyat or STAR or SNAP.

KDM had long been duped into believing that the Federal Government had interfered into Sabah affair to bring down the Kadazan-led government of PBS. Where did such allegations arised when BN and UMNO have always left Sabah politics to Sabahans?

Sabahan are one of the nicest people on earth but frankly, no one can understand the Sabahan political psyche. Their practise would have been seen as unethical by the shrewdest of any politics elsewhere.

On the subject of the bringing down PBS, one should ask Anwar Ibrahim who orchestrated the buy-out of Lajim, Bumburiang, and whole list of katak to jump out of PBS and saw the PBS-USNO coalition fall apart after just winning the state election.

Don't forget to ask also Anwar and Dr Jeffrey Kitingan of their plan of treason for a Sabah cessation from Malaysia. That will explain why the 20% oil royalty promise for Sabah and Sarawak by Anwar.

If the question is why 73,000, take account that these people are indigenous of this area and is as much a Pribumi as Jeffrey Kitingan or Lajim or Musa Aman.

Professor Ramlah Adam testified at the RCI and expressed out similar view. Ironically, it is Sabah Times that reported it, below:
Filipino immigrants here because of ancestral links – Historian 
Sabah Times 
by Nancy Lai.
Posted on January 15, 2013, Tuesday

KOTA KINABALU: Historian Professor Datuk Ramlah Adam said the issue of the presence of illegal immigrants in Sabah should not be politicised.

“We must avoid politicising the issue especially during election time because this is not sincere in resolving the issue,” she said, when giving evidence to the Royal Commission of Inquiry on the presence of illegal immigrants in Sabah here yesterday.

Ramlah was one of the three witnesses called to give evidence on the first day of the Commission’s hearing yesterday before it was abruptly halted because of a bomb hoax about 2.40 pm.

Ramlah and Professor Ranjit Singh were asked on the history and demography of Sabah while the third witness was former head of the Settlement Unit under the Chief Minister’s Department, Abd Jaafar Alip.

“We must look at this as a national issue, not a political one. We must be professional in resolving it,” she said.

She said that in her opinion the people from the Southern Philippines came to Sabah because of the ancestral links between the state and the Republic.

To conducting officer Manoj Kurup’s question as to what are these links, Ramlah said these are unwritten ties including religion, family and the maritime boundaries which were passed down from generations to generations in the Southern Philippines.

And because this area was governed by the Sulu Sultanate in the past, some of those in the Southern Philippines feel that Sabah is still a part of the Sulu Sultanate which is why they come to Sabah, she said. 
Even though the Sulu Sultanate is not in existence any more, some people in the Southern Philippines still continue to practise the sultanate system which they inherited from their ancestors, she said, adding that her studies showed that it was difficult to place a political boundary in those days as a Sultan’s authority was based on a few factors, including the loyalty of the people.

“From what I read, this is still happening now. From a historical aspect, they may not feel that they are entering Sabah illegally but because there are immigration laws in this country, they become illegal immigrants.

To the question as to what steps can be taken to resolve the problem, Ramlah suggested that because of their historical links to Sabah, these people should be given some political recognition and some programs initiated to get closer to them and to assist them.

“The influx of illegal immigrants into the country and Sabah is worrying because having laws against illegal entry are not deterring them. We repatriate them and they return, besides, repatriating them costs a lot of money,” she stressed.

“So we must look at this as a national problem and not a political one. We must sit down and discuss professionally to find a solution to this problem. There must be affirmative action to resolve the issue in a professional manner,” she stressed.

Ramlah was also of the opinion that some of the islanders in Southern Philippines may not recognize the Philippines government and this could be one of the reasons why they still come to Sabah.

The other reason was that they are fleeing from the political unrest in their homeland so that they can find a better life elsewhere, she said.

“Even as fishermen here, it is a better life for them away from the unrest in their home country,” she said.

If that is beyond their ability to understand, one can always asked back how about the 1,000,000 in Malaya?

One can always asked back what basis is to give citizenship to 30,000 Chinese that did not qualify for Jus Soli citizenship but could not be repatriated because Chairman Mao Tse Tong refused to acknowledge and accept them when it was raised by Tun Abdul Razak in his trip to Beijing in early 70s?

7 comments:

  1. Anonymous4:05 PM

    at the end of the day, the will tell theworld that sabah n sarawakgets 20% but 15% goes to carlye n haliburton with sevrn sisters another beneficiary.

    the method to calculate will be different. sabah gets less n the country gets none.

    sabahan can be easily duped psl bodoh sangat

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous5:57 PM

    In Labuan there is a 'Kampung Melayu' which was originally settlement area of the Sulus.
    When the local Malays refers them as orang Filipin , I always stand to correct them and say that these people are not Filipinos.

    wak

    ReplyDelete
  3. Kaladin6:15 PM

    Just who are the "indigenous" races in Sabah, Sarawak and the peninsula?

    Anthropologists will have a field day discussing this. Academic treatises can be written and reputations made.

    Incidentally, there are Muslims and Christians among the Kadazans in Sabah. Is this a historical anomaly or a breach of the anti-proselytisation regime?

    ReplyDelete
  4. How do you answer this10:29 AM

    Tuesday January 15, 2013

    ‘Migrant woes started in 1991’
    By STEPHANIE LEE
    stephanielee@thestar.com.my



    KOTA KINABALU: Sabah's illegal immigrant problem began in 1991 when the state's population sharply rose, the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on the issue heard.

    Historian Dr Ranjit Singh said the migrant problem cropped up in that year when the state's population was 1.7 million compared to 651,304 people in 1970.

    He said the population in Sabah in 1970 consisted of the Dusun (183,000 people), Bajau (77,000), Brunei (28,000), Suluk Tausuk (10,000) and Sungai (17,000), while there were 138,000 Chinese and the rest were made up of indigenous groups.

    “The population increased drastically by 423,000 people in 1991, which were made up of non-citizens. This increase could not be attributed to natural birth rates within such a short period of time,” he added.

    “I am not able to tell the reason for such a sharp increase because I don't do research on that matter as a historian,” he said at the open court hearing of the RCI.

    Ranjit said he had ceased his research on the population in Sabah and its scenario in 1991, hence the last report that the population had increased by that year.

    Earlier, DPP Manoj Kurup, who is conducting officer of the RCI, said former Internal Security Act detainees who were held for their suspected involvement in the Sabah identity card issue would be among those who would be called up to the RCI.

    He was assisted by DPPs Datuk Azmi Ariffin, Jamil Aripin and Luke Ressa Balang at the hearing.

    Manoj said evidence would be adduced through individuals from the Philippines, India, Pakistan and Indonesia, who possess various identification documents such as IMM-13, entry permits, green and blue identification cards.

    The others who would be called are Permanent Residents and those who are believed to have such documents, he added.

    Among the witnesses who turned up at yesterday's hearing were former chief ministers Datuk Harris Mohd Salleh and Datuk Yong Teck Lee, who were at the inquiry held at a courtroom at the Kota Kinabalu High Court.

    Universiti Malaysia Perlis history expert and lecturer Prof Datuk Dr Ramlah Adam, who was first to testify at the hearing, suggested that the “prosper thy neighbour” policy be implemented to solve the problem.

    She said historical relations between Sabah and the neighbouring countries showed that people from these regions were a family and should be given some form of political acknowledgement for humanitarian purposes.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous11:46 AM

    The UNiversity must check whether this baiyi Ranjit SIngh is working or not.

    How come only 73 thousand was given IC over a long number of years and he claim increase by 400,000 in 1991 in sabah population.

    Mabuk baiyi ni

    ReplyDelete
  6. Tq sir for the bud dajo incident picture in Jolo Mindanao Philipines..good writing

    ReplyDelete
  7. To Anonymous,
    Please watch your heart and watch your mouth and watch your keyboard. I find you rash, harsh, impolite, rude, hard-lined, one-tracked mind, full of airs, and you twist facts. No wonder your hide under the pen-name of 'Anonymous' so that you can write any rude thing you like. I have read postings from you in other blogs.

    I am also Sabah born Chinese, and I know the Filipinos and Indonesians well because I was raised in Tawau, with them. I know their history, which is not the written history of Western (British/American) history that you find in books.

    I agree with the Professor from Perak in all things she said, surprisingly, because I usually criticise West Malaysians for their lack of understanding of Borneon matters.

    ReplyDelete

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