Kota Kinabalu: Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Sabah has questioned the delay in the official appointment of the commissioners of the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on illegal immigrant problems.
PKR Sabah Security, Immigration and Electoral Reform Bureau Chief, Dr Chong Eng Leong, urged the Prime Minister to explain the reason that there is still no Agong's edict on the appointment of the commissioners after the Terms of Reference were announced more than three weeks ago.
"Is the time frame of six months too long for the RCI to its job?" he asked.
Chong said that after going through the TOR in detail, he believed the RCI was "only a political gimmick".
He claimed certain elements in the Barisan Nasional (BN) government deliberately gave away blue ICs and citizenship to foreign migrants and was pressured to set up this RCI.
The time frame of six months to complete investigations with tonnes of files from the National Registration Department alone was not enough, he said.
"The TORs are restrictive, only investigative, no jurisdiction to even recommend except on one item. If they are going to investigate who were the people involved, who was the mastermind, in this treacherous and treasonous act, do they have the power to recommend legal actions?
"Are they going to investigate into the purpose of giving ICs and citizenship to foreign migrants (as discovered from the KL High Court records as stated above)?" he asked.
He said the immediate concern arising from the TOR was when proven that electoral rolls are tainted with non-qualified voters.
"Then there is the serious consequence of declaring the coming election results null and void.
This could be the ultimate reason for BN not to proceed with this RCI before the 13th General Election.
"Sabah's electoral rolls are estimated to have around 200,000 non-qualified voters in the current Sabah rolls of 950,000 voters," he claimed.
Professionals in Sabah view the setting up of the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on Illegal Immigrants in Sabah as proof of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s sincerity to resolve the problem.
ReplyDeleteA law graduate from Universiti Malaya, Salman Nurillah, said the setting up of the RCI would eliminate the perception on the presence of phantom voters in elections in Sabah.
Delete“It also proves that the government led by Najib has never ignored the people’s desire to see the government doing something to resolve the problems on phantom voters and illegal immigrants,” he told Bernama.
DeleteA lecturer at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), Associate Professor Dr P. Balakrishnan said the setting up of the RCI would enable panel members to document their findings and make the necessary recommendations to the government.
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DeleteThe panel members should cooperate with the relevant government agencies since the influx of immigrants to Sabah was to fill the job vacancies in the state, he added.
“There are foreigners who come to Sabah to work and the documents are important for their future, including for their children’s schooling, to avoid more problems in future,” said Balakrishnan.
DeleteHe hoped that the panel would come up with a module, including on a collaboration with members of the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-the Philippines East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) to address the problem.
DeleteEducationist Jimin Yon said the setting up of the RCI proved the federal government’s sincerity to protect the interests of the Sabah bumiputera.
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DeleteIt is also in line with the terms of agreement of the formation of Malaysia in 1963 on the federal government’s assurance to protect the Sabah people, including to contain the entry of illegal immigrants to the state, he added
DeleteWhat we're waiting now is the implementation of RCI. i heard that GE will be held without RCI but i hope it was not true.
DeleteI'm still waiting for the government to implement RCI.
DeleteApa pun kita berharap agar RCI ini dapat ditubuhkan segera.
DeleteHopefully the government will give the green light to start the RCI soon.
ReplyDeleteia pasti tak lama lagi akan ditubuhkan.
DeleteAnnounce it before GE is coming.
DeleteYes I do hope so and I always will.
DeleteRCI tidak harus ditangguhkan lagi.
DeleteOnce Datuk Najib Razak has given the instructions, the RCI panel will have 6 months time to find out the Project IC issue. We shall wait and see.
ReplyDeleteNajib is a man with principle. He will fulfill what he has promised.
DeleteI believe he is capable to walk his talk.
DeletePBS said the Datuk Najib Razak's decision to set up an RCI is a victory for all Sabah BN, after their efforts to fight for the RCI in Sabah. PBS was also the first party to raise up the RCI in 1994 but unfortunately Datuk Anwar Ibrahim rejected it at the time.
ReplyDeleteNeither Mahathir nor Badawi was dare enough to for the RCI on illegal immigrants in Sabah.
DeleteMahathir is the creator of Projek IC in Sabah. no wonder why he is not implement RCI.
DeleteAfter all those waiting moments, it is time.
DeleteWe should give credit to Musa Aman for working behind the scenes convincing all parties within UMNO Sabah to accept the RCI for the good of Sabah.
ReplyDeleteThanks to the chief minister for his foresight to set up the Sabah BN committee on citizenship under the chairmanship of Pairin Kitingan which actually served as a catalyst in the formation of the RCI.
ReplyDeleteBefore Najib announced the RCI, opposition said govt won't dare to form the RCI. After Najib announced it, again they said it just a political gimmick. Guess the opposition will always have something to condemn, right?
ReplyDeletenama pun memang pembangkang. they will never stop condemning.
DeleteThe RCI will be going start the investigation soon.
ReplyDeleteSemoga siasatan RCI menghasilkan buah.
Deleteopposition will always come with the negative aura.
ReplyDeleteThey never stop until they manage to take over the government.
ReplyDeleteBut we believe that the RCI will going to solve the problem.
ReplyDeleteHope everything gonna be ok and the main purpose on the setting up RCI can be met.
ReplyDeleteBy forming the RCI, BN has boosted its image in the eyes of Sabahans who want the illegal immigrant problem solved as soon as practicable. Many also want the RCI's findings be made public before the next general election amid claims that illegal immigrants have entered the electoral roll.
ReplyDeleteThe people of Sabah want to know if it is true that a million foreigners have become Malaysian citizens through the back door, swelling Sabah's population by a third.
ReplyDeletePakatan Rakyat leaders, as expected, have refused to even give the RCI the benefit of the doubt by allowing it to do its job first before attacking from all corners.
terma dan rujukan dah ditetapkan, jadi, RCI akan ditubuhkan jg tak lama lagi.
ReplyDeletePasti segala siasatan dilaksanakan dengan tegas dan teliti.
DeleteProses RCI akan tergendala sekiranya Pakatan Rakyat menang PRU13. sebab Pakatan akan beri status PR kepada PATI.
ReplyDeletebetul tu.. itulah yang diumumkan oleh Wan Azizah sebelum ini.. masa tu terkedu lidah pemimpin2 Pakatan mahu buat penjelasan balik..
Deletedari pengumuman penubuhan RCI hinggalah pengumuman terma2 RCI, semualah pembangkang mahu cepat.. nanti kalau kena buat dan umum dalam masa sehari, pembangkang juga yang cakap tidak ikhlas..
ReplyDeleteHarus cepat sebab isu PATI semakin serius dan tindakan harus diambil sebelum menjadi serius.
Deletecukuplah RCI bakal ditubuhkan.. soal lambat atau cepat, itu bukanlah penting sangat lebih2 lagi bila banyak perkara yang perlu dipertimbangkan.. perancangan tu mesti mantap ba..
ReplyDeleteUntuk menghentikan komplen pembangkang, tubuhkan RCI secepat mungkin. Buktikan keikhlasan.
ReplyDeleteSemoga panel yang dilantik benar bertanggung jawab untuk memperjuangkan misi untuk menyelesaikan isu PATI.
ReplyDelete