"These are refugees, and I think we want to allow them to stay in Malaysia, but they have to be distributed among all the states in Malaysia.
"It is about time that states like Penang should be able to share our (Sabah) 'wealth'," he testified at the fifth session of hearings by the royal commission of inquiry (RCI) on immigrants in Sabah at the Kota Kinabalu court complex.
Bernard was responding to conducting officer Jamil Aripin's (left) query on how to resolve the problem of refugees who flooded Sabah between 1972 and 1984, and who have remained there since.
The RCI had previously heard that some of these people were later illegally given blue identity cards which grant them the status of a citizen (IMM13) in exchange for their votes.
Bernard, who is former Penampang MP, said the IMM13 documents issued to refugees should be done away with.
"There is no more war (in the southern Philippines), the war is elsewhere now," he said.
He also took a more hard line position, calling for all identity cards in Sabah to be recalled and reissued so that dubious ones could be identified.
Other Sabah-based parties - such as SAPP - have instead lobbied for a Sabah identity card in line with the national MyKad to identify genuine Sabahans.
However, Jamil pointed out that withdrawing the blue identity cards of those who may have received them illegally would have far-reaching consequences.
"What would happen to those who have already stayed here for 20 or 30 years and their children, some of whom may even be working in the government now?" he asked.
At this, Bernard said the past transgressions cannot be justified on any grounds as it is against the federal constitution which has already stipulated proper procedures for citizenship.
'Constitution supercedes all'
"This is an affront to our constitution. It would be a sad day when we have to disregard the provision of the constitution just because somebody has stayed here for 50 years," he said.
"They were never Malaysians in the first place, their identity cards should be withdrawn and perhaps they can be given a restricted permanent residence which does not confer citizenship to an individual, his children, nor his grandchildren," he said.
Bernard (right) - who was formerly the chairperson of the parliamentary select committee (PSC) on integrity which had in 2006, investigated the illegal granting of identity cards - also submitted 10 reports to the commission detailing some of its investigations.
The Sabah veteran politician had resigned mid-way through the PSC's investigation after the Home Ministry refused to cooperate.
Bernard said that his party, Upko, had also conducted the "biggest qualitative investigation" in Malaysia in relation to the matter, and had submitted its findings consisting of 26 volumes and 1,000 interviews.
"The 26 volumes cover 13 locations in Sabah - where 400 interviews are of real Sabahans, while 600 others are of illegal immigrants and those believed to have dubious documents," he said.
Bernard was one of two witnesses who testified at the last day of the fifth RCI session today.
A total of 139 witnesses have taken the stand since the commission began its hearings in January this year.
Nigel Aw
GLAD SOMEONE HAS AT LAST LISTEN TO THE CALL TO SEND ALL REFUGEES TO MALAYA!
ReplyDeleteAND WHY NOT?
THE MALAYAN COLONIAL GOVERNMENT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS SHIT PROBLEM AND THEY SHOULD TAKE ALL ILLEGALS TO THEIR OWN COUNTRY MALAYA AND NOT US ILLEGALS TO DISENFRANCHISE SABAHANS AND SARAWAKIANS.
SABAH BELONGS TO SABAHANS A& SARAWAK BELONGS TO SARAWAKIANS.
MALAYA BELONGS TO MALAYANS & ILLEGALS
Suruhanjaya Siasatan Diraja (RCI) bagi menangani masalah berkaitan pendatang tanpa izin (PATI) di Sabah hari ini diberitahu bahawa kerajaan pada 1976 telah menubuhkan Unit Penempatan Pelarian Perang Selatan Filipina di bawah Jabatan Ketua Menteri bagi menjaga kebajikan dan hal ehwal mereka di negeri tersebut.
ReplyDeleteBekas ketua unit itu, Abdul Jaapar Alip berkata, bermula pada 1976 hingga 1985, kerajaan mewujudkan lima skim penempatan untuk pelarian perang dari selatan Filipina di Sabah dan diwartakan oleh kerajaan itu terletak di Telipok dan Kinarut, Kota Kinabalu; Kampung Bahagia, Sandakan; Kampung Selamat, Semporna dan Kampung Hidayah di Tawau.
ReplyDeleteKatanya, sepanjang sembilan tahun pelaksanaan skim penempatan bagi yang beragama Islam dan kategori 'Orang Teranjak' tidak beragama Islam yang tinggal merata tempat di Sabah, direkodkan jumlah mereka kira-kira 73,000 orang.
ReplyDelete"Kesemua mereka terlebih dahulu ditemu duga oleh unit ini bagi membolehkan mereka mendapat status pelarian perang untuk ditempatkan di skim penempatan berkenaan.
ReplyDelete"Lima syarat utama pemilihan ialah mereka mesti datang dari selatan Filipina, terlibat secara langsung dalam perang di wilayah itu, mesti datang dalam tempoh antara tahun 1970 dan 1985, beragama Islam dan sedia untuk tinggal secara tetap di Sabah," katanya.
ReplyDeleteBeliau berkata demikian semasa memberi keterangan pada hari pertama prosiding RCI di hadapan panel lima anggota diketuai oleh bekas Hakim Besar Sabah dan Sarawak, Tan Sri Steve Shim Lip Kiong.
ReplyDeleteYang turut dipanggil memberi keterangan ialah pakar sejarah, Profesor Datuk Dr. Ramlah Adam yang kini bertugas sebagai Fellow Utama Unit Kajian Strategik Universiti Malaysia Perlis dan Profesor Emeritus Ranjit Singh Darshan Singh yang terlibat secara langsung dalam tuntutan Malaysia terhadap Pulau Sipadan dan Ligitan di Semporna, Sabah.
ReplyDeleteTambah Abdul Jaapar, empat syarat bagi Orang Teranjak adalah sama dengan pelarian di skim penempatan, cuma bezanya adalah pada status agama yang dianuti.
ReplyDeleteDitanya Manoj mengenai proses pemilihan, Abdul Jaapar berkata, rakyat asing itu ditemu duga oleh pegawai terlatih unit itu dan semasa proses itu mereka tidak membawa sebarang dokumen bagi tujuan pengesahan sebaliknya pegawai berkenaan akan mengenal pasti melalui pertuturan dan latar belakang mereka.
"Selepas proses itu selesai, pelarian diberikan resit akuan pendaftaran yang mempunyai nombor siri dan gambar, borang mereka akan dihantar kepada Jabatan Imigresen bagi dikeluarkan pas lawatan kerja sementera (IMM 13).
ReplyDelete"Bagi yang tinggal di skim penempatan, mereka akan diberikan sekeping kad pengenalan, bermakna mempunyai dua dokumen termasuk IMM 13," katanya yang menafikan kad pengenalan itu mempunyai fungsi sama seperti kad pengenalan yang dimiliki oleh warganegara yang sah.
ReplyDeleteSementara itu, Abdul Jaapar memaklumkan, skim penempatan itu dihentikan selepas September 1985, iaitu semasa Sabah berada di bawah pemerintahan Kerajaan Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS).
ReplyDelete"Namun antara 1987 dan 1992, kerajaan negeri membuat gerakan pendaftaran orang asing di Sabah dalam dua fasa iaitu bancian setiap rumah yang diduduki rakyat asing dan fasa kedua, proses pendaftaran," katanya.
ReplyDeleteSementara itu, Ramlah mencadangkan supaya kerajaan melaksanakan tindakan afirmatif dengan memberi pengiktirafan politik kepada golongan berkenaan dengan mengambil kira faktor kemanusiaan berdasarkan kepada kaitan hubungan sejarah, perkongsian warisan budaya dan keselamatan serta kedaulatan negara ini.
ReplyDelete"Isu ini hanya timbul selepas penubuhan Malaysia 1963, sebelum itu, ia tidak menjadi masalah. Walaupun pihak berkuasa mengusir pulang, membuat pelbagai akta tetapi mereka akan tetap datang, malah proses itu melibatkan kos amat tinggi yang terpaksa ditanggung oleh kerajaan.
ReplyDeleteDalam apa-apa tindakan, soal keselamatan dan kedaulatan masih perlu diberikan keutamaan. Kerajaan pada masa sama juga perlu melaksanakan pelbagai program termasuk program memakmurkan negara jiran seperti yang dilaksanakan oleh Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak terhadap kesinambungan Bangsamoro baru-baru ini," katanya.
ReplyDeleteRamlah turut meminta isu itu ditangani secara berhemah dan bukannya bermotifkan politik.