PENAMPANG: United Pasokmomogun KadazanDusun Murut Organization (UPKO) will continue to push the Federal Government to set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on the illegal immigrants and Project IC issues in Sabah.
Its information chief Datuk Donald Mojuntin also stressed that the proposal to set up a RCI to investigate the existence of “Project I/C” and the problem of IMM13 document holders in Sabah is definitely not done with bad intention.
“Nor is it to cause hatred and disunity,” he said in a statement yesterday in response to Pertubuhan Kebajikan Dakwah (PEKIDA) Sabah’s objection to the calls by various quarters in the state on the Federal Government to set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) into the illegal immigrants issue and Project IC.
With due respect to PEKIDA and its chairman Datu Mohd Akjan Datu Ali Muhammad, UPKO remains firm in its stand to push for the formation of a RCI, he said, adding that it is to ensure that the rights of real citizens, including all the indigenous ethnic groups in Sabah, are protected.
“The very reason for d proposal is to protect our sovereignty and to ensure that the security of our country is assured. There is a genuine and palpable concern and even fear among Sabah’s people in relation to the existence of illegal immigrants obtaining identification documents and Malaysian citizenship so easily.
“All this can and may be alleviated with d formation of a RCI,” he stressed.
The PEKIDA chairman, Donald added, talked about the due process of obtaining Malaysian citizenship.
Perhaps he doesn’t realise that the proposed RCI is not concerned about those applicants who go through lawful and proper process, he said, adding that the proposed RCI is concerned about those foreigners who obtained genuine identification card and Malaysian citizenship illegally.
Whether ‘Project I/C’ exists or not, that is the main investigation to be carried out by the proposed RCI.
“So why not form it? If we know the problem through the RCI’s investigation then we can come up with solutions and we can ensure the problem never comes up again,” he said.
Donald also pointed out that if the proposal to form a RCI was done with ‘bad intention’ and to incite hatred against the present BN administration, then why did Sabah BN Sub-Committee on Illegal Immigrants endorsed the said proposal.
According to him, UPKO also proposed for the RCI to look into the matter of the 84,000 foreigners who are holding IMM13 documents.
“This is a distinct and different problem from ‘Project I/C’ which the PEKIDA chairman doesn’t seem to realise. IMM13 documents are held by Filipinos who escaped to Sabah seeking refuge due to the civil unrest in Southern Philippines in the early 1970s and the documents are renewed annually.
UPKO believes that there is no more need for the issuance and renewal of IMM13 documents. As such, there must be a firm and transparent solution to the IMM13 problem also, he said.
“I hope that Pekida realises that the RCI proposal is to protect all genuine ‘anak watan Sabah’ and warga Malaysia. Indeed, it is to protect and preserve ‘kedaulatan negara kita’. It involves the security of our country. Isn’t that one of the most crucial and important issue for us?
“Their objection to the formation of an RCI is both very disappointing and perplexing,” he added.