Najib agrees to make long overdue Sabah RCI report public

KOTA KINABALU - Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced today that the Royal Commission of Inquiry’s (RCI) findings on Sabah’s illegal immigrants issue will be made public by the beginning of next month, laying to rest concerns raised over the government’s delay in releasing the report.

The prime minister said that he was aware of how important the issue is to Sabahans and after discussing the matter with members of his Cabinet, it was agreed that the panel’s findings should be made public.

“Sabah’s Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan will also head a committee to look into the findings and come up with the next course of action, “ he said adding that in must be within the context of esprit de Corp

He said this at the United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko) convention here today.

It has been six months since the RCI report was handed over to the King and Najib.

During the RCI’s proceedings, which started in January last year, testimonies from Filipinos and other immigrants revealed how they received their blue identification cards or the MyKad — which is proof of citizenship — in just a few years after arriving in Sabah and how they had also voted in elections.

The Commission headed by Tan Sri Steve Shim Lip Kiong, who is also former Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak, was set up on September 21, 2012.

It had called 211 witnesses including former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim before closing the case on Sept 20 last year.

Today’s announcement has been much awaited as illegal immigration issues has been plaguing the state for decades.

In 2011, a Sabah Barisan Nasional (BN) committee was set up to consider the then proposal for the setting up of the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on illegal immigrants.

The same committee will now be coordinating the various views and proposals to resolve the problem, beginning with the recommendations of the RCI.

Earlier in his speech, Upko acting president Datuk Madius Tangau raised several issues, including the issue of native land titles that has continued to frustrate locals, as well as the five per cent oil royalty paid to Sabah which was deemed too low.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman, however, assured in his speech that the natives were the priority in land awards.

He also said that the oil royalty payments to Sabah are appropriate, considering the cost of oil exploration.

Also on Najib's schedule today is a meeting with the state Umno liaison committee and developers of the Tanjung Aru Eco Development. He will also be officiating Wisma UTC tonight.