Jeffrey said this exercise was done in order to make Sabah a Muslim majority state and justify Umno's entrance into the state.
"In 1963, there was only 4% or 5% Malay population in Sabah. It used to be a non-Muslim majority state," he told the royal commission of inquiry (RCI) on immigrants in Sabah.
"This was also the only way for them to stop the rotation system (for the chief minister's post) and take control of Sabah," he added.
'Sabah for Sabahans' - another pitch launched
An opposition political party in Sabah has urged that the ‘old identity card system’ be revived, in order to distinguish individuals living in the state from those in the peninsula and Sarawak.
State Reform Party (Star) chairperson Jeffrey Kitingan told the royal commission of inquiry (RCI) into immigrants in Sabah today that making this distinction would help identify Sabah natives and ensure the preservation of their rights.
He also said this would prevent individuals from claiming to be Sabahans, thereby enjoying related benefits, including the right to vote in the state.
"If the powers-that-be want these (immigrants) to become citizens, they can take these people to the peninsula," he said to mild laughter this morning.
Ram Anand
DEAR SABAHANS UMNO POPULATION ENGINEERING BEGAN IN 1963
ReplyDeletePOPULATION RE-ENGINEERING BEGAN WITH UMNO'S SUPREMACIST AGENDA WHICH WAS EVIDENT FROM BEFORE 1957 WHEN MALAYANS WON THEIR INDEPENDENCE FROM BRITAIN WITHOUT UMNO LIFTING A FINGER.
Unfortunately Britain as always put pro-UK political groups in power in its colonies. In Malaya this was UMNO the Malay supremacist elites led by Tunku Abdul Rahman AND Najib's father Tun Abdul Razak.
Following their accession to power, they cast their eyes on grabbing the British Borneo colonies at the height of the cold war and beginning of the Malayan National Liberation War or "emergency" (not called a war because war damage not covered insurance).
The UMMO imperialist agenda was only successful because Britain again only looking after its own interests and promoted UMNO as its successor in Borneo.
When Tunku Adbul Rahman (TAR) was asked by Britain announced the British Malaysia concept in 1961, he used the race card by saying that the Malay people in Borneo need their assistance to advance from their poverty stricken position.The irony was that the people in general did not welcome what they saw as Malayan neo-colonialism.
Even Brunei Malay rejected Malaysia by voting 99% for the Brunei People's party in the 1962 elections and further opposed Malaysia with their armed uprising to resist imposition of Malaysia when Britain rejected the BPP call for a united North Borneo Federation (North Kalimantan.
This did not stop UMNO from implementing its expansionist agenda by annexing North Borneo and Sarawak without Brunei on 16 September 1963 (BLACK SEPT 16) while there was still fighting in the jungles with guerrilla forces.
Malaya had invaded North Borneo and Sarawak by them with their armed forces joining in the British 50,000 strong "Commonwealth force" to suppress the uprising and Sarawak independence and anti-Malaysia guerrilla forces.
We must all see that population re-engineering is UMNO's very cynical and sinister imperialist agenda to impose its expansionist plan through a majority Muslim population and its version of an Islamic state.
Muslims were minorities in Sabah and Sarawak in 1963. By the 1960 census, there were only 0.04% (Brunei Malays) in North Borneo and less then 15% in Sarawak. Now they form over 50% in Sabah and 25% in Sarawak.
The use of the "human wave" invasion from Indonesian and Southern Philippines was the fastest way to increase the Muslim population in Borneo.
According to UN conventions for creation of states using population engineering is not an accepted way to create states.
However, the reality is that in Sabah and Sarawak the UMNO regime has legitimized the illegal population and the RCI is just window dressing as it does not deal with the bulk of those who invaded our 2 countries.
So UMNO maintains stranglehold on Sabah Sarawak by numbers and by its occupation army. We can see from recent elections, the Malays do not all support UMNO, especially in Malaya.
It is correct to assert that if UMNO wants to re-capture its 2/3 majority, the best way is to shift all the illegals in Sabah to Malaya!
For the time being real Sabah patriots must wake up and see through UMNO's game which is being effected by local traitors against the interest of all real Sabahans. Sabahans must unite and support any political party or movement which is striving to take Sabah out of its present predicament.
50 years in Malaysia is 50 years too long for Malayan colonial rule and domination.
We must rise to the call of "SABAH FOR SABAHANS!"
TAKE BACK OUR COUNTRY!
there are 30 % muslim and 15% christian in 1969 in sabah.. now there is 60% muslim and 30% christian.
Deletei said most converts are local bumis that are previously pagan, eg dusun ranau which consisted half of them are muslim.
it is a biased that most muslim population are engineered by umno, there is no umno in sabah. tun mustapha and datuk harris through USIA was able to bring more pagan into muslim, and that is fact.
only recently the ic project or watever u called being used for political gained. but statistic dont lies.
the propotion of muslim and christian in the state are proportionally. u ppl are biased thiniking we would only relied on given ic.
most muslim are not well recorded in 1969, we are seafarer tribe it is common for us to be missed from the survey.
and dont be idiot saying the country is ur, u ppl are mostly living in jungle, most muslim are from shore eg kk, sandakan, tawau, lahad datu,
sandakan and lahad datu is suluk city, they got their own right, we still pay them attribute every year. what make u think they dont deserve to be pure sabahan? only interior ppl is sabahan?
ko igt sabah ni kamu pun saja ka. kami pun ada hak pi gi la.
Suruhanjaya Siasatan Diraja (RCI) bagi menangani masalah pendatang asing tanpa izin di negeri Sabah telah ditubuhkan oleh Perdana Menteri Malaysia Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak pada 1 Jun 2012
ReplyDeleteSudah 1 tahun tetapi masih tiada apa-apa perkembangan.
DeletePenambahan populasi memang luar biasa.
DeleteRCI adalah hasil pandangan rakyat dan kerajaan Barisan Nasional. Ia membabitkan kewarganegaraan, keselamatan, sosio ekonomi, kesihatan dan politik. Jabatan Peguam Negara telah diamanahkan untuk mengemukakan cadangan Terma Rujukan (TOR) dan draf asas telah disediakan.
ReplyDeleteThat's like killing someone and then apologizing by running a thorough autopsy. You think BN/UMNO can still get away after doing something like that?
Delete14 Jan 2013, prosiding RCI mengenai kebanjiran pendatang asing di negeri Sabah bermula dan digemparkan dengan keterangan beberapa bekas kakitangan dan pegawai kanan Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara(JPN) bahawa mereka diminta memproses permohonan kad pengenalan(IC) kepada rakyat asing.
ReplyDeleteJabatan Pendaftaran dan Imigresen harus disiasat terlebih dahulu. Pegawai ini cuma menjalankan tugas mengikut arahan sahaja.
DeleteNak tukar ic baru atau mana-mana langkah pun tiada guna jika Jabatan ini masih tidak berubah.
DeleteSeramai 20 penjenayah tahanan ISA yang ditahan di Kem Kamunting di Perak terbabit dengan pemalsuan dokumen kad pengenalan dan pasport. Operasi menahan mereka yang terlibat dengan sindiket pengeluarkan kad pengenalan Biru di Sabah berlaku pada tahun 1995 untuk mengaut keuntungan peribadi.
ReplyDeleteDalang projek ic ini masih bebas dari tindakan.
DeleteBEBAS SEBEBAS BEBASNYA. RCI may be able to point out the guilty, but until you change the government they will continue to roam free.
DeletePada masa itu ramai individu ditahan melalui ISA termasuk para pegawai JPN dan individu tertentu. Oleh sebab itu, Kerajaan meningkatkan kualiti pengeluaran kad pengenalan yang sedang diguna pakai oleh rakyat.
ReplyDeleteIni cuma dicakap sahaja, apa yang dibuat di pintu belakang, siapa yang tahu.
DeleteUsaha kerajaan memperkenalkan penggunaan sistem kad bermutu tinggi seperti pengenalan kad pintar pelbagai guna atau Goverment Multipurpose Card secara berperingkat-peringkat dijangka dapat mengatasi isu pemalsuan kad pengenalan.
ReplyDeleteDari tahun 1990 hingga sekarang, Kerajaan telah mengusir 446,173 pendatang tanpa dokumen ke negara asal mereka.
ReplyDeleteAngka tersebut adalah termasuk pelarian yang tidak mempunyai dokumen yang sah. Walaupun sukar kerajaan telah mengambil tindakan peguatkuasaan dan berusaha menangani isu berkaitan dengan bersungguh-sungguh.
ReplyDeleteSelagi Jabatan yang berkenaan tidak menjalankan tugas dan memberi dokumen secara tidak terkawal, isu ini tidak berakhiran sehingga bila-bila.
DeleteIn the East Malaysian state of Sabah there is a looming crisis over citizenship and residency permits that have been granted to foreigners, mostly from the neighboring country of the Philippines.
ReplyDeleteThey can easily get the mykad. Seems our mykad are valueless.
DeleteThis has led local Sabah NGOs and civil society groups to petition the federal government of Malaysia to put a stop to the granting of residency status and Malaysian identity cards to foreigners, who are said to outnumber local Malaysian Sabahans by two to one in some parts of the state.
ReplyDeleteRevelation of the demographic crisis came about as a result of independent reports on a clandestine program of settlement known as ‘Project M’, that was said to have been in effect for almost two decades now.
ReplyDeleteSo angry are the locals of Sabah that they argue that the net result of the program has been to turn them into a minority in their own state, and they have asked the government to explain how and why identity cards and residency status was so readily given out to foreigners while many local Malaysians of Indian or Chinese origin have yet to be given full citizenship status or Malaysian identity cards.
ReplyDeleteIt has now emerged that the expansion of the population in the East Malaysian state of Sabah has less to do with a population boom but rather by the granting of entry permits, identity cards and residency status to thousands of migrants from the neighboring Philippines.
ReplyDeleteThis has prompted locals in Sabah to appeal to the federal government of Malaysia to put a stop to the granting of residency status to so many foreigners. Yet the question remains: how and why was this allowed to happen over a long period of more than two decades?
ReplyDeleteAnd while foreigners from the Philippines were granted residency status and Malaysian identity cards, why are there still so many Malaysians–said to number around 30,000–of Indian and Chinese origin who are still denied full Malaysian citizenship and identity cards?
ReplyDeletePATI sudah menjadi satu isu yang amat merisaukan. Kerajaan tidak mengambil langkah yang berkesan.
DeleteObservers of Malaysian politics have long since realized that Malaysia’s political economy is based on the politics of race and communitarianism. The country’s fragile ethnic and racial balance has been kept together by an elite consensus between the numerically bigger but economically poorer Malays and the economically more powerful Chinese minority.
ReplyDeleteYet Malaysian politics remains Malay-dominated and with a strong Malay-centric flavour to it. Until today, the history books of Malaysia speak more of the achivements and contributions of the Malays rather than the other communities, particularly the Chinese and Indians who actually helped the Malaysian economy develop in the first place.
ReplyDeleteDue to the demographic imbalance that favours the Malay majority, Malaysian politics has always sought to ensure and protect the comfort zone of the Malays in particular. The two biggest parties in Malaysia–the ruling UMNO party and the opposition Malaysian Islamic party PAS–are both Malay-dominated and despite their claims to the contrary they cater primarily to the communitarian interests of the Malays.
ReplyDeleteThe majority status of the Malays, however, is guaranteed by the ambiguous cocept of ‘Bumiputera’ (literally the sons of the soil) who are also considered Malay by definition.
ReplyDeleteBanyak juga Indonesia diberi warganegaraan untuk menambah lagi populasi Melayu.
Delete‘Bumiputeras’ include not only Malays but also those whose origins are of the Malay archipelago–to include Indonesians, Filipinos and Thais (of Muslim background).
ReplyDeleteThe granting of residency status and citizenship to ‘bumiputeras’ from the Philippines has therefore been criticized as yet another attempt to bolster the majority status of the Malays, while further neglecting the legitimate needs of Malaysia’s Chinese and Indians; prompting the latter to ask: how long do they need to live in Malaysia before they are seen as truly Malaysians?
ReplyDeleteThe present prime minister, Abdullah Badawi, has stated time and again that he is the ‘prime minister of all Malaysians’ and has vowed to break from the communitarian political culture of his predecessors. Yet if the allegations about ‘Project M’ turn out to be true, it would suggest that the policy of favoring Malays and Bumiputeras continues unabated until today in the country.
ReplyDeleteLarge migrant population a security threat, says Sabah's top cop
ReplyDeleteKOTA KINABALU: The presence of a large migrant population in Sabah poses a certain security threat to the state and its people, police chief Datuk Hamza Taib told the Royal Commission of Inquiry.
He said the Feb 9 Tanduo intrusion in Lahad Datu was a clear example of the security risks involved with the presence of such a large group of migrants as the intruders received support from them.
Delete"The security implication of foreign migrants is the intrusion which had a deep impact, not only to security personnel, but to the people of Sabah," said Hamza, who is Sabah Police Commissioner.
DeleteHowever, he said crimes involving foreigners were low compared to those committed by locals based on statistics between 2000 and this year.
Delete"There are only about 25-30 percent of foreigners under the crime index (frequently committed crime such as murder) while the remaining were committed by locals," he said.
DeleteHe added that between 2005 and 2012, police arrested 91,386 foreigners for various offences of whom 75,000 were referred to the Immigration Department.
DeleteHamza said the Filipinos committed the most crimes among the foreigners, including offences committed towards their own nationals.
Delete“So to say that the foreigners contribute most of the crime in Sabah, or to blame them for the security threats is not fair considering our statistics which proved that only a quarter of crime are committed by foreigners,” he explained.
DeleteThe inquiry chaired by former Sabah and Sarawak chief judge Tan Sri Steve Shim also saw several oil palm plantation managers and human resource personnel testifying in the Kota Kinabalu High Court on Thursday.
DeleteAumkar Plantations general manager Nokiah Sannasi said the plantation sector depended mainly on foreign workers and the sector could collapse if foreigners were to be sent back to their countries.
Delete“In Aumkar, we have 850 staff, of which 800 or 95 per cent are legally employed workers from the Philippines and Indonesia,” he said.
DeleteNokiah said it would cripple the industry if foreign workers were sent home, as almost no locals were interested or ready to replace them.
Delete“Foreign workers are more productive in the estates, they are able to carry out the duties required without much complaints whereas locals are only willing to work under shelters and certain working hours,” he explained.
DeleteHe said there were foreign employees who had earlier on worked for the company illegally but now documented with the amnesty programme (5P) introduced by the Government.
DeleteLikewise, IOI Corporation Berhad assistant manager for Human Resource Nalia Rudin agreed that the company could not operate without foreign workers.
Delete“We have been trying to attract citizens to work in this company but the response has been very poor,” Nalia said, adding about 80 percent of the estimated 15,000 foreign workers in the company were from Indonesia and the Philippines.
DeleteLuz said the foreigners employed were now all documented after several phases of the amnesty programmes introduced by the government.
DeleteChong yang pernah mengarang buku berhubung Projek IC itu mendakwa, Musa mempengerusikan satu jawatankuasa bertindak pada 1991 yang dirancang untuk mendaftar warga asing sebagai anggota Umno selepas pemberian kewarganegaraan.
ReplyDelete“Apabila Umno mula memasuki Sabah, pasukan bertindak ini ditubuhkan dan ketuanya tidak lain selain Musa Aman sendiri,” kata Chong kepada suruhanjaya siasatan diraja berhubung isu imigran Sabah hari ini.
ReplyDeleteDakwaan ini, bukan sahaja mencemarkan nama baik Ketua Menteri Sabah itu; juga boleh menimbulkan berbagai persepsi terhadap kerajaan yang ditunjangi Umno dan parti Umno sendiri.
ReplyDeleteBagi orang Sabah, memang sudah arif dengan Dr Chong Eng Leong, kerana mantan pemimpin PBS itu senantiasa menyimpan perasaan buruk sangka terhadap kepimpinan Umno dan Umno sendiri, selepas parti itu berjaya menumbangkan kerajaan PBS pada tahun 1994.
ReplyDeleteSabah sebelum tahun 2004 mempunyai 48 kerusi Dewan Undangan negeri, di mana 40 kawasan dikuasai seimbang antara kaum bumiputra islam dan kaum KDM, manakala 8 dikuasai kaum cina. Akibat persempadan semula yang digunapakai pada PRU-2004, kawasan DUN bertambah kepada 60, di mana kawasan bumiputera islam telah bertambah 12 menjadi 32, manaka kawasan KDM dan kaum cina tetap tidak berubah.
ReplyDeleteBerasaskan kepada keadaan inilah, ada pemimpin tertentu mempertikai pertambahan jumlah kerusi kawasan majoriti kaum bumiputera islam; dan menghubungkan pertambahan itu dengan penambahan pengundi melalui "pemutihan" pendatang haram, terutama daripada Indonesia dan Filipina.
ReplyDeletePemimpin tertentu mengguna pakai data tahun 1960-an, sebagai dasar mengukur pertambahan penduduk; tanpa mengambil faktor cara pendaftaran penduduk Sabah pada masa itu.
ReplyDeleteKerajaan Sabah pada tahun 1970-an berusaha berbagai kaedah menggalakan penduduk mendaftar sebagai penduduk, antaranya melalui Saham Tun Mustapha atau lebih dikenali sebagai "wang kayu balak".
ReplyDeletePada post kemerdekaan Sabah pada September 1963, memang kerajaan mengalami kesukaran mendaftar penduduk Sabah yang sebenarnya, atas sebab itu berbagai inisiatif diperkenalkan.
ReplyDeleteSehingga tahun 1990, memang masih ramai penduduk Sabah yang belum berdaftar sebagai penduduk Sabah, walaupun mereka menduduki negeri ini. Atas kesedaran politik terutama kaum bumiputera islam yang tertindas semasa kerajaan PBS, maka ramai pemimpin islam secara sukarela menjadi pemangkin supaya timbul kesadaran agar bumiputrera islam mendaftar sebagai penduduk dan seterusnya mendaftar sebagai pengundi.
ReplyDeletePenulis sendiri, walaupun hanya tinggal di sebuah kampung yang berjarak 16 batu daripada pekan, tidak mempunyai surat beranak, akan tetapi surat akuan bersumpah dan kemudian surat itu digunakan untuk memohon surat beranak daftar lewat.
ReplyDeleteBayangkan mereka yang tidak berkesempatan bersekolah pada tahun 60-an, kemungkinan besar mereka ini tidak mempunyai dokumen, walaupun mereka adalah penduduk asli negeri ini.
ReplyDeleteSeperti penulis katakan di awal tulisan ini; kerana kesadaran politik kaum bumiputera islam yang bermula pada tahun 1990, maka ramailah penduduk bumiputera islam berjaya diberi kesadaran untuk mendaftar sebagai warganegara dan seterusnya sebagai pengundi.
ReplyDeleteMalangnya, gerakaan ini, diambil kesempatan oleh mereka yang bermatalamat mencari keuntungan, sehingga menyalah gunakan peluang itu. Syukur kepada kerajaan, kerana dapat memintas perbuatan itu, melalui penahanan mereka melalui ISA.
ReplyDeleteRCI Sabah hari ini di Mahkamah Kota Kinabalu menggunapakai data 1960 berkaitan penduduk Sabah, dimana pada masa itu, Sabah hanya dihuni seramai 600,000, dan dikatakan bahawa antara tahun 1970-2000, kaum KDM bertambah 160 peratus, Bajau bertambah 340 peratus, manakala "melayu" bertambah 1,552 peratus.
ReplyDeleteSebenarnya pengkelasan ini, tidak tepat, kerana Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara yang memberikan kategori "melayu" kepada penduduk islam, walaupun dalam daftar surat beranak mereka itu adalah daripada kumpulan etnik bumiputera islam. Sebagai contoh, penulis sendiri daripada suku Iranun, namun pada rekod JPN, penulis dikategorikan sebagai "melayu", demikian juga anak-anak penulis. Penulis sendiri tidak tahu, mengapa perkara ini boleh berlaku?
ReplyDeleteSudah sampai masanya, mereka-mereka seperti penulis, perlu memberi pendedahan berhubung status yang diberikan JPN, jika tidak, suatu hari kelak, status "kesukuan" terhapus dengan sendirinya.
ReplyDeleteBagi penulis keterangan yang diberikan oleh mantan senator dan Pemimpin PBS Dr Chong Eng Leong, tidak mempunyai merit untuk dipercayai, kerana dakawaannya itu banyak sangat berasaskan persepsi, bukannya berasaskan penyelidikan yang mendalam.
ReplyDeleteSatu fakta yang boleh dijadikan contoh misalnya, di kampung penulis, akibat gerakan pedaftran penduduk kerana pemberian "Saham Kayu Balak" pada tahun 70-an, ramai penduduk dalam satu keluarga yang berupa adik beradik, mempunyai tarik lahir yang berbeza bulan sahaja, antara abang-kakak atau adik, dan ironinya mereka lahir pada tahun yang sama, asalkan umur mereka cukup 21 tahun, syarat utama mendapatkan "wang Kayu balak" pada masa itu. Malah di antara mereka itu, ada yang menjadi kaki tangan kerajaan; ironinya; ramai juga adik kepada seseorang itu mencapai persaraan lebih awal berbanding abang, kerana catatan tahun penduduk itu dilahirkan semasa gerakan pendaftaran itu.
ReplyDeleteAdalah tidak pelik, jika belaku pertambahan penduduk secara mendadak, bukan kerana akibat "pemutihan" warga asing, namun kesadaran penduduk asal mendapatkan dokumen kad pengenalan.
ReplyDeleteRCI yang sedang racak berjalan sejak tahun lepas, kini banyak menimbulkan berbagai persepsi "kosong" selain itu, untuk memperkuat alibi mereka, mereka mengaitkan pemimpin tertentu- antaranya Musa Aman.
ReplyDeleteUncovering the plot to topple Musa Aman
ReplyDeleteIt all began with oil…
Sometime in 2007, a group of businessmen approached Sabah CM Musa Aman to discuss ways they could explore and benefit from the state’s lucrative oil & gas industry.
ReplyDeleteNow, these are the same group of people who benefitted greatly from the state’s timber resources via Yayasan Sabah and other channels for many, many years under previous Sabah Chief Ministers.
They became very wealthy over the years, so much so they could afford to blow a few millions a night in casinos.
ReplyDeleteWell, the Sabah reforestation plan and conservation programme that was put in action by Musa since he became CM in 2003 was taking a toll on this group of businessmen.
They could not make as much money as before and therefore, needed another cash cow.
ReplyDeleteUnlike the millions they made in the timber industry, the petroleum industry has the potential to make them billions!
Sabah has Malaysia’s top oil reserves and the Sabah Basin is projected to produce oil for a much longer period than any other oil-producing states in Malaysia.
All they had to do was get Musa’s blessings and the money from the petroleum industry would start pouring into their coffers.
ReplyDeleteBut the unimaginable happened. Musa, despite being 'friendly’ to them, refused to entertain their demands and deemed it not right for them to put their hands in the petroleum ‘cookie jar’.
Many attempts were made to smooth talk Musa, and numerous meetings and lobbying sessions took place – but Musa kept them at bay.
ReplyDeleteAngry and bitter that Musa had cut them off the lucrative petroleum sector and denied them a chance to taste a slice of the billions in oil money, this group hatched a plan to get rid of Musa.
They vowed that Musa must be removed at all cost.
ReplyDeleteTimber tycoons run out of trees to chop... Proceeds from the timber industry in Sabah were in the past used intensively to fund political activities. The forests of Sabah became the ATM machines for Sabah politicians.
Musa Aman is the 14th CM of Sabah since Tun Fuad Stephens first took office in September 1963.
ReplyDeleteThe other 13 CMs were Tun Fuad Stephens (1st term 1963-1964), Peter Lo Sui Yin (1965-1967), Mustapha Harun (1967-1975), Mohamad Said Keruak (1975-1976), Tun Fuad Stephens (2nd term 1976), Harris Salleh (1976-1985), Joseph Pairin Kitingan (1985-1994), Sakaran Dandai (1994), Salleh Said Keruak (1994-1996), Yong Teck Lee (1996-1998), Bernard Dompok (1998-1999), Osu Sukam (1999-2001) and Chong Kah Kiat (2001-2003).
There are dozens of timber tycoons, or sometimes known as timber mafias in Sabah and they played instrumental roles as the political backbone and controlled the purse strings of the political elites.
ReplyDeleteAs a matter of fact, Sabah had the highest concentration of millionaires in the country during the 80s and 90s, all cultivated by the backwater political system backed by timber proceeds.
When Musa took office in 2003, the state’s timber resources were fast depleting and getting out of control.
ReplyDeleteIllegal logging was terribly rampant and something had to be done fast, especially as the timber mafias were creating a lot of problems for Yayasan Sabah with their demands for more concessions/contracts/favors/etc.
The Yale’s School of Forestry and Environment Studies, in its Yale Environment 360 publication had this to say on their 12th June 2012 issue:
ReplyDeleteForests not only became the state’s principal rainy day fund, but eventually came to be seen as a piggy bank for politicians. The biggest potential beneficiary was the chief minister, who controls both Yayasan Sabah and appoints the director of the forestry department, obliging the most senior forest official to abide by his orders.
Soon, the push to generate more cash began to take a toll, and in the 1970s logging accelerated in forests across Borneo, including Sabah, due to rising global demand for timber products. The situation for forests outside the area designated as permanent forest estate was worse due to the emergence of a new and highly profitable crop: oil palm. Oil palm plantations in Sabah grew from almost nothing in the mid-1980s to covering nearly a fifth of Sabah’s landmass by 2010.
ReplyDeleteInside the Yayasan Sabah concession, logging was rampant, with companies cutting ever-smaller trees and using helicopters to harvest steep slopes. Yayasan Sabah’s revenue plunged with declining timber yields. The situation reached a crescendo in 1998 when the then-chief minister signed off on a massive pulp mill to be run as a Malaysian-Chinese joint venture.
ReplyDeleteThe mill would require nearly a third of Yayasan Sabah’s concession to be cleared and planted with fast-growing acacia. When Sam Mannan, then director of forestry, objected to the project, he was relieved of his post by Sabah’s chief minister.
ReplyDeleteParts of Yayasan Sabah were laid to waste, but it was all for naught, as the pulp project never materialized. Even with the official abandonment of the mill project in 2001, logging continued, eventually serving as a catalyst for early re-logging of nearly three-quarters of Yayasan Sabah.
ReplyDeleteLogging generated a short upswing in revenue for Yayasan Sabah, but it wasn’t sustainable. The long-term economic outlook for Yayasan Sabah was bleak.
ReplyDeleteYou can read more at:
http://e360.yale.edu/feature/a_desperate_effort_to_save_the_rainforest_of_borneo/2540/
Musa’s secret game plan to curb excessive logging… When Musa assumed office in 2003, he set the wheels in motion that slowly and steadily dried up the money supply of these timber tycoons/mafias.
ReplyDeleteSustainable forestry was introduced and Sam Mannan, who got back his old job, was given more power to carry out the reforestation initiatives.
The Yale Environment 360 article goes on to say this further:
ReplyDeleteIn addition to trying to turn around the situation in Yayasan Sabah, Mannan has so far successfully protected some of the last remaining lowland primary forests in Sabah.
Indeed, if you travel far enough in Sabah, some of Borneo’s most treasured forest still exists.
ReplyDelete“Sabah is still way ahead of Sarawak and Kalimantan: surviving primary forests areas are being conserved, reforestation and forest restoration is happening, and encroachers have moved out of forest reserves,” said John Payne, a conservation scientist with the Borneo Rhino Alliance.
Musa Aman’s plans were slowly bearing fruits.
He was slowly cutting off one timber tycoon after another in the food chain.
ReplyDeleteTo enforce his plans, Sam Mannan came up with a set of stringent guidelines under the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an eco-certification body.
Various internationally recognised systems such as the Pan European Forest Scheme (PEFC) and the Malaysian Timber Certification Scheme (MTCS) were introduced and put in place.
ReplyDeleteThe Sabah Forestry Department set 2014 for full certification of Sabah’s forest concessions. At the same time there is experimentation occurring in parts of the Yayasan Sabah concession, including the world’s first Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD+) project.
ReplyDeleteThe forestry department’s strategy to enforce the FSC guidelines is to bind loggers to compliance.
ReplyDeleteEven if a chief minister or a politician wishes to use the forest revenue as a personal ATM, it becomes very difficult and controversial because the areas are FSC-certified.
Short-term licences that cause tremendous damage to the environment are being drastically phased out and Sabah’s forest management credibility is at its highest — an open-book philosophy whereby logging and forest management areas are all open to third-party and NGO scrutiny.
ReplyDeleteLong-term logging licences have been subjected to third-party auditing (independent audit) since 2010 so independent auditors would detected any illegal felling.
The size of forest reserves under the Totally Protected Areas (TPAS) category is now reaching 1.3 million hectares or about 20 per cent of Sabah’s total land area, exceeding international standards of 10 per cent.
ReplyDeleteBy 2014 when all rules and regulations come into full effect, many timber tycoons/mafias still existing in Sabah will be out of business and the remaining players have to follow strict international guidelines. The party’s over.
Frugality and tight grip on purse strings created enemies for Musa…
ReplyDeleteMusa entered politics as a wealthy but prudent businessman. Contrary to popular belief, he made hundreds of millions as a businessman first before becoming the CM.
When he assumed office in 2003, Musa’s asset declaration exceeded a whopping RM280 million.
His company Musman Holdings started off with stevedoring and later diversified into construction, real estate, shipping, plantation and banking.
He also made a sizeable fortune selling his stake in City Finance Berhad to EON Finance Berhad.
ReplyDeleteCity Finance itself is an interesting story…
When Tengku Razaleigh was Finance Minister in 1976, he issued a banking license to the late Tun Said Keruak with the aim to establish a Bumiputera-based bank in Sabah.
To qualify for the license, Said Keruak gathered a few qualified and capable Bumi businessmen, including Musa Aman to become shareholders.
Only one of the shareholders was a Chinese, a retired bank manager by the name of Thomas Chow.
ReplyDeleteBesides Musa, other shareholders included Herman Luping, Ben Stephens, Lawrence Sinsua and Simon Jenkins – all of whom had equal shares except Said Keruak who had a higher amount of shares.
They used their own money and even borrowed heavily from banks to finance the venture.
ReplyDeleteAs time went by, the dividends were not forthcoming and interests on bank loans obtained to purchase the shares were mounting and this became a heavy burden for the shareholders.
All shareholders, except Musa, agreed to sell their stakes when a Chinese property tycoon from Kuala Lumpur approached them to buy over City Finance.
One person who resisted the deal in the shareholders meeting was Musa – who was keen to ensure City Finance remains a Bumi company.
After a series of negotiation, Musa agreed to buy over the shares held by the directors and shareholders, thus making him the major shareholder and chairman of City Finance.
ReplyDeleteThe company eventually started to grow and was on its way towards becoming a major finance company in the country until the new banking policy under Tun Daim saw it merging with EON Finance Berhad.
Musa made a sizeable profit from the merger and eventually moved up the political ladder to become numero uno in the state’s administration.
ReplyDeleteHowever, he is known to be very frugal. He has very tight grip on money – his as well as the state’s.
This made some people very unhappy, even those in his inner circle – and this includes the timber tycoons aka timber mafias.
It was becoming very hard for these timber tycoons to influence Musa because he was captain of his own ship and had his own money to do things as he pleases.
ReplyDeleteWhile CMs of the past had to curry favour with these timber tycoons, with Musa it was the other way around.
There are close to 14 timber tycoons that have been around in the state for decades and they still have very strong influence on Sabah’s political elites.
Under the previous rotation system of CM, all had some form of accessibility to the state’s riches.
ReplyDeleteBut since Musa took over, many saw themselves being cut off from action and from the opportunity to mint money easily, even corruptly.
The group of businessmen which we mentioned earlier then started their secret operation to ‘finish off’ Musa.
ReplyDeletethe plan to topple Musa… The clandestine operation to get Musa removed from his seat of power got into action in 2008 with the infamous Michael Chia case.
Much has been said and written about the RM40 million money laundering case involving Michael Chia.
But unknown to many, the telephone call to Hong Kong anti-graft body ICAC originated from this KK number: 088-4XXX83.
ReplyDeleteThe ICAC received the information from KK via line +852 2587 9813 two days before anti-graft officers ambushed Michael Chia at his luxurious hotel suite.
Michael Chia was entrapped so that information on Musa and his proxies could be squeezed out of him by the authorities.
(Some timber tycoons from Sabah have Hong Kong registered companies, where one director is enough to open a limited liability company, and have corresponding banking accounts in HSBC or Standard Chartered, giving them ease to carry out parallel transactions in HK or KK)
ReplyDeleteChia had escaped the dragnet on 2 different occasions a month earlier because he diverted the money to other locations around the world at the last minute.
The anti-graft authorities - both in HK and KK, managed to extract only a certain amount of information from Michael Chia.
But additional information, that were essential to the success of this elaborate operation to pin down Musa, came from an individual by the name of Lo Man Heng, a KK based timber businessman.
ReplyDeleteHe was Michael Chia’s partner and the two later had a fallout due to money issues.
Lo Man Heng and Michael Chia were involved in a legal battle at the Singapore High Court following the fallout.
Now, what is interesting about this little-known Lo Man Heng is that he became a strong supporter of PKR supremo Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim immediately after Michael Chia’s arrest in Hong Kong.
ReplyDeletePhotographs of him standing next to Anwar were found hanging on his office wall.
In fact, Anwar introduced him to Clare Rewcastle Brown, who is behind Radio Free Sarawak and Sarawak Report.
Lo Man Heng was the deep throat that Clare boasted about in her website when she was attacking Musa before the 13th GE.
ReplyDeleteThe conspirators tried hard to bring down Musa but so far they have been unsuccessful.
Despite coming up with an impressive chart on the money trail (see below), nothing much was accomplished.
Among the key reason why the money trail chart above had little impact was that the account number registered to Musa was opened on 14 June 1999, four years way before he became CM.
The argument that there was abuse of power while in office as CM could not be pinned down on Musa.
ReplyDeleteMACC officers who questioned Musa found that the money paid to his sons was carried out by his trusted aide, who conveniently used the funds from the UBS account. And the lawyer who supposed to ensure no such complications or conflict of interest arose was clearly sleeping on his job.
Next, in 2010, the conspirators tried to ruffle the feathers in BN component parties to come up with a vote of no-confidence on his leadership.
If you read here http://akimomogun.blogspot.com/2010/08/salleh.html, Sabah Umno deputy chief Salleh Said Keruak openly disclosed that certain leaders of Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) were in cohorts with certain quarters to topple Musa Aman.
ReplyDeleteHe warned that Sabah BN would not be intimidated by any attempt to hold the coalition at ransom by mounting a veiled threat on its Chairman-cum-Chief Minister.
"We are prepared to face the worst challenge," Salleh was quoted as saying.
Salleh questioned the rationale behind LDP Deputy President Datuk Chin Su Phin's outrage and claimed it was part of an on-going plot to oust Musa.
Chin was quoted as asking PM Najib to remove Musa because his party could no longer work with the CM.
ReplyDeleteThen in 2012, stories of Michael Chia and Musa reappeared, making their rounds in the various media.
This time, whistleblower site Sarawak Report, which had their guns initially trained at Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud and the rainforest issue, shifted their target to Musa.
Scores of allegations were made but none of this came close to even warrant a misdemeanor criminal or corruption charge in Malaysia or Hong Kong on Musa Aman, or even Michael Chia for a fact.
Any charge on money laundering on Michael Chia by the Hong Kong authorities, or say the MACC, could have had a devastating effect on Musa’s political career.
ReplyDeleteBut for all their worth, they were just hot air.
Then, stories surfaced that Musa was asked to take a leave by PM Najib but these were also found to be false and malicious articles.
The operation to topple Musa is still active, even after the 13th General Elections.
ReplyDeleteThe conspirators are trying everything and will continue to do all they can until they succeed in bringing down Musa.
But Musa is a battle hardened veteran who has survived much worse battles and he is not to be brought down by a bunch of disgruntled businessmen or politicians who could not get what they want.
Some may fret and fume about the existing State of affairs and fire barrage of diatribes inexorably against the handling of the illegals, against the handling of certain socio-political problems arising from the huge number of illegals and even the way the development programmes are being undertaken.
ReplyDeleteBut my logical question is how many of them have seen any better government than the earlier three governments USNO, Berjaya and PBS, under the present leadership. I know that I may not be politically correct to say this but I am saying this without any political leanings to any parties.
ReplyDeleteAt the development front I do not see any inadequacy in the policies and programmes being pursued by the government. So, let us learn to call a spade a spade and appreciate the hard work put in by this Musa government. I also do not find any inadequacy or serious shortcomings in the measures contemplated or taken up by the leadership to address many of the gnawing socio-political problems i.e. due to the presence of millions of illegals in the state.
ReplyDeleteIt is important for us to remember that many of the socio-political problems we witness today due to the illegals in Sabah do not come into existence in a day. This means that we can not afford to have quick fix solutions. Rather we need to find out the lasting solutions.
ReplyDeleteThis fact, it seems, is very much known to the leadership of the Sabah government. Musa knows he is answerable to the people. And as we all know GE13 is just round the corner and in any democratic set up the people are sovereign and people can deny their elected leaders a chance to become their representatives again if they feel that he or she does not live up to their expectations.
ReplyDeleteApparently Musa Aman know these democratic processes and values quite well and have outperformed his predecessors in duties of serving the people of Sabah and the Natives specifically.
ReplyDeleteHere, I can not help eulogizing Musa Aman for his political acumen and statesmanship. Under his leadership and guidance the present government has succeeded in getting the RCI on Illegals and has also succeeded attracting unprecedented developmental activities and is, relentlessly, endeavouring to lift the State to the status of one of the most developed States in the country. Take my hats off to the Chief Minister of the State.
ReplyDeleteLike any other leader Musa Aman may also be fallible. But one may not be doing any justice on one’s part if he or she is hell bent on critiquing his shortfalls unmindful of or forgetting about all the invaluable services that he has rendered so far in spite of the various constraints/limitations that he confronts with while governing this complex multi-ethnic society with their divergent vested interests.
ReplyDeleteIt can also be sensed that Musa is very much familiar with the concept of ‘micro power politics’. As this element is present in all spheres of politics. And to my observation and belief Musa is well aware of the fact that until and unless the differences that arise out of the power politics at the micro level i.e. among his elected colleagues of his own party UMNO or otherwise, are resolved first, no solutions could be found out to the problems at the macro level.
ReplyDeleteHe has dealt with most of the problems that exists at the governmental level successfully and is able to steer his last two coalition governments for two complete terms, 2004 and 2008.
ReplyDelete10 years as Chief Minister, being a seasoned statesman rising above the petty politics he shepherds the transition of Sabah towards the pinnacle of development. His mind boggling personal charisma and aura reach far beyond the boundaries of the State.
ReplyDeleteHis many bold decisions against the odds and his ‘never-buckle-under pressure-tactics’ quality least bothering about such actions may make more political foes than friends endear himself to many Sabahans. He is a ‘cult figure’ in the hearts of many of his admirers in the state.
ReplyDeleteMusa Aman is well aware of the fact that in democracy there is no place for those power elites i.e. Yang Berhormats who try to monopolize the power and the state machineries to their own personal aggrandizement. He makes his colleagues realize that in democracy none of them could remain in power if they do not go in tandem with aspirations of the people. That is the one obvious reason why Musa Aman could win a thumping majority in the last general election in 2008 where he won 59 out of the 60 state seats.
ReplyDeleteProblems are bound to be there. Heroes are those extraordinary humans who fight not only the evils but also who always try to solve the problems or hardships that people face. And to me Chief Minister Musa Aman is a hero. The leadership of the present government had shown in earlier occasions that it believed in the ‘virtues of adversity”. It knows well that if it could not meet the adversities with responsible responses it shall perish.
ReplyDeleteTherefore the leadership of the present government has, time and time again, shown the grit, sagacity, skills and other bold decisions as responses to deal with the situations or challenges which rear its ugly head just like phoenix rising from the ashes.
ReplyDeleteIn earlier occasions the government might have faced some difficulties as to how to deal with such situations. It must have really racked its head over the solutions.
ReplyDeleteBut as time passes by it is able to have explored really well thought out responsible responses to deal with all the challenges. I am citing the RCI as an example.
ReplyDeleteExtraordinary people are those who face the challenges and adversities with extraordinary ingenuity and with the only available resources boldly rather than meekly surrender. Sabah government under the able and extraordinary leadership of Musa Aman, have met with all the challenges all the turbulent phases daringly and fearlessly and on every occasion it came out victorious and triumphant.
ReplyDeleteThe main reason of the success of the leadership of this government, I believe, is that it has faith in the core values of democracy and always capitalizes on the ‘virtues of adversities’.
ReplyDeleteIf the government does not upheld democracy, they would not have cared what the people wanted. They would not have set up the RCI.
DeleteThe present Sabah government is an epitome of statesmanship and democratic values. At the end I have to confess that this small write-up is not an insider’s comment on the workings of the government. It is just a common man’s observation.
ReplyDeleteThe government had listened when the people said they wanted the illegal immigrants issue to be investigated, Najib has approved the formation of RCI in Sabah.
DeleteAt the time of independence in 1963 the Muslim population of Sabah was at 37%. Recent official statistics by the government of Malaysia puts Sabah's Muslim population at 63.7% .
ReplyDeleteIn the early 1970s during the outbreak of the Moro rebellion in the southern Phillippines, thousands of Muslim refugees came to Sabah and settled in refugee camps. Many of them later acquired Malaysian citizenships illegally.
ReplyDeleteIn the early 1980s, when Datuk Harris Salleh was the Chief Minister of Sabah, tens of thousands Indonesians and Filipinos (most of them Muslims) acquired Malaysian citizenship illegally as detailed in the books by Joshua Kong (EPIC of Sabah) and M.D Mutalib (IC Palsu & Lelaki Malaysia Terakhir).
ReplyDeleteApart from this we must also not forget the large number of West Malaysian civil servants who work and live in Sabah, most of whom are Muslims. Population surveys usually includes the legalized illegals, the illegals and West Malaysians as well.
ReplyDeleteNo wonder then, the Muslim percentage in Sabah is so high. One would not really care if the number of Muslims increase in Sabah from among real Sabahans.
ReplyDeleteBut too have so many illegal citizens and West Malaysians in the state, and then claiming Sabah to be a Muslim-majority state is very unfair.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, it is believed the actual percentage of Muslims in Sabah are around 40-45%. The foreigners who acquired citizenships through illegal means must be stripped of their citizenships and Borneonisation of the civil services must be implemented.
ReplyDeleteOnly then can we see the actual growth of Muslim population in Sabah. To call Sabah a Muslim state while at the same time being proud of people who have no business being in Sabah is not something to be proud of.
ReplyDelete