KOTA KINABALU: A call has been made at the Royal Commission of Inquiry on illegal immigrants hearing here to have the traditionally nomadic Bajau Palauh found mostly in eastern Sabah be recognized as citizens.
A village chief from Kampung Bangau Bangau, Semporna, called to testify in the inquiry yesterday, said the government should take into consideration that the sea gypsies, Palauh, have been residing in the waters off Sabah over the centuries.
He said it was only fair if the government recognized their rights as native settlers, or at least provide them with proper documentation to show their identities.
Juak Borneo said Bajau Palauh, many of whom did not fully understand or were even aware of the citizenship status issue they are facing, consider themselves as Sabahan Malaysian, as they have no other home but Sabah.
However, he said most of them did not even have any documentation despite being born and raised in the state.
He informed the Commission that some 3,000 out of the 5,752 Palauh residing in his water village had been issued with red identification cards for permanent resident status, as they were considered immigrants.
The rest have either some kind of immigration documents or have no documentation at all.
“There was an effort carried out by the National Registration Department in Semporna to register Bajau Palauh, but it is still not enough,” he said.
Juak said he was not sure about the Palauh in other areas but he believes most of them are also undocumented and have to go through the same difficulties in their daily lives because of it.
Without any documentation, Juak explained that his people could not find employment nor send their children to school, and as a direct result, had to continue living in dire poverty.
He expressed concern that the community may finally become too frustrated and resolve to violence or be forced into criminal activities just to survive, if the situation continues.
“If the government is concerned and truly care about the welfare of the people, it must at least ensure that these people are issued with some form of documentation, even if it is not MyKad, so they can work and go to school,” he said.
Two others were call to testify yesterday, bringing the total of witnesses to 171 so far.
The Commission, which has long been proposed by various parties in Sabah, was agreed upon by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak on July 1 last year before it was officially announced by the government over a month later.
It was initially given until March to probe the long-standing illegal immigrant problem in Sabah, including allegations on unlawful issuance of identification cards in the state.
However, a six-month extension was given to allow the Commission to dig deeper into the issue, following the bloody incursion by Sulu gunmen in Lahad Datu in February, which many blamed on the large number of Sulu immigrants in Sabah.
The Commission has until Sept to complete its investigation and is scheduled to resume its public hearing on July 15.