Picture are complilation from various sources
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Beautiful Sabah 3
Beautiful places of to visit in Sabah if you are ever in Sabah.
Picture are complilation from various sources
Picture are complilation from various sources
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Beautiful Sabah 2
The pictures are compilation from various sources. See for yourself the beauty of Sabah formerly known as North Borneo
How to get to Sabah(North Borneo) Mount Kinabalu (Courtesy of Maps.Google.Com).
This is what we will lose if we continue the indiscriminate destruction of Sabah Rainforest, all in the name of development. Soon we will only have cultivated green like Oil Palm trees.
This too might be gone with prices going down and maintainence cost going up. We Sabahan might end-up with barren landscape.
You and I might not feel the impact, but ask your children, have they ever seen a firefly around where you are staying?
How to get to Sabah(North Borneo) Mount Kinabalu (Courtesy of Maps.Google.Com).
This is what we will lose if we continue the indiscriminate destruction of Sabah Rainforest, all in the name of development. Soon we will only have cultivated green like Oil Palm trees.
This too might be gone with prices going down and maintainence cost going up. We Sabahan might end-up with barren landscape.
You and I might not feel the impact, but ask your children, have they ever seen a firefly around where you are staying?
Monday, December 15, 2008
Challenge legitimacy of Federation of Malaysia
Challenge legitimacy of Federation of Malaysia
Tanak Wagu | Dec 4, 08 4:04pm
I refer to the letter Must Sarawakians beg to be let into the banquet hall?
I read this letter and would like to echo its sentiments. Many Sabahans also feel the same way about being in Malaysia.
The Malaysia Agreement has been breached so many times but no one was arrested for questioning the special position of Sabah in the federation.
Recently, former Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) secretary Dr Chong Eng Leong claimed that the word ‘federation’ in the federal constitution is interpreted as one being formed in 1957.
Then I would like to ask what is the legitimacy of Sabah and Sarawak being in Malaysia. Sabah and Sarawak formed the Federation of Malaysia in 1963. In fact, the federal constitution does not even interpret Malaysia Day, despite mentioning it several times.
The Federation of Malaysia became illegal on the day Singapore was kicked out. Sabah and Sarawak would not have joined Malaysia if it was not for Singapore being in with us together. The Malaysia Agreement says that Singapore should be part of the federation.
When Singapore was kicked out, Malaya became the sole decision-maker in parliament. Prior to that, the seat distribution in parliament was 51 percent for Malaya and 49 percent for the three Ss (Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore).
The legitimacy of the Federation of Malaysia should be challenged in an international court of law. It is time for Sabahans to unite and voice out against unfair Malayan oppression. Sabahans in Malaysia are merely window dressing to attract tourists.
In reality, most Sabahans are underprivileged. They are discriminated in the federal service especially if they are not Muslims.
Mixed marriages between Muslims and Christians - which used to be common practise in Sabah - are now being made illegal by Malayan authorities through the National Registration Department (NRD).
Statues of non-Muslim gods and goddesses can be perceived illegal because they supposedly disturb ‘sensitivities’, a word imported from Malaya. Malaya has poisoned the minds of many Sabahans by harping on race and religion.
The only time Sabahans were truly united was in the early 1990s under the PBS. But this was only for a short while.
Once Umno was brought into Sabah, everything changed. Even in the recent general elections, Umno played on racial and religious sentiments to divide Sabahans.
Sabahans should unite once again. Most Sabahans are related to one another. Whether one is a Bajau, Bruneian, Kadazandusun, Kadayan, Murut, Chinese or Indian, everyone is Sabahan.
The kind of unity that we have in Sabah is unique and should be preserved before Umno totally destroys it.
Remember, Sabah for Sabahans!
Source : Letter to Editor (Malaysiakini)
Saturday, December 13, 2008
'Tak main gertak-gertak' nak blah silakan - Nazri
12 Dec 2008 4:05PM
KL: Parti Progresif Rakyat (PPP) sekali lagi diberi amaran supaya tidak mengugut Barisan Nasional (BN) dengan menyatakan parti itu akan keluar dari BN jika Akta Keselamatan Dalam Negeri (ISA) tidak dipinda sebelum pilihan raya umum akan datang.
Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz berkata, Menteri Dalam Negeri dan Perdana Menteri baru-baru ini sekali menegaskan bahawa ISA tidak akan dipinda atau dimansuhkan.
"Ini bermakna sama ada hari ini atau sebelum pilihan raya akan datang, kita tidak akan pinda.
"Jadi saya nak tanya PPP,apa tunggu lagi? Keluarlah... jangan nak mengugut.
"Kalau kita ni nyamuk, jangan nak mengugut gajah. Jadi jangan cakap banyak, keluar sahaja," kata beliau ketika ditemui di lobi Parlimen di sini, hari ini.
Nazri berkata, kehadiran PPP dalam BN tidak menguntungkan memandangkan parti itu kalah satu kerusi yang diperuntukkan kepada mereka di Perak pada pilihan raya umum lalu.
"Kehadiran mereka dalam BN menyusahkan kita. Umno terpaksa mengorbankan satu kerusi untuk mereka iaitu di Bukit Gantang untuk memberi peluang PPP bertanding di Taiping.
"Baru ni kita buat lagi, mereka kalah kerusi. Jadi, apa untungnya kehadiran mereka dalam BN kerana mereka hadir atas simpati kita saja.
"Jadi peminta sedekah, jangan nak mengugut," katanya.
Source : KLpos
Basa ini statement dari ini Nazri, imagine apa itu UMNO sakap pasal party party dari Sabah........Kalau kamurang nyamuk, jangan nak mengugut gajah.
Oina UMNO suda kasi kamurang Sabah, kamu nyamuk jangan usik Gajah (UMNO).
Katapi sia mau tanya sama ini Nazri, Gajah basar ada utak kah, Gajah UMNO pamasam kasi mati itu nyamuk oh.....
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Sabah Project IC, Is it a myth or is it for real?
Project IC
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Project IC is the name used in Malaysia to describe the allegation of systematic granting of citizenship to immigrants (whether illegal or legal immigrants) by giving them identity documents known as IC (identity card), and subsequently, MyKad. The alleged practice is centered in the state of Sabah in East Malaysia. The term is used mainly by the media as well as other political commentators and the general public. Another term used is Project M, where "M" stood for Mahathir Mohamad, the former prime minister of Malaysia due to his being allegedly involved in the spearheading of this project. The alleged object of Project IC is to alter the demographic pattern of Sabah to make it more favorable to the ruling government and certain political parties, especially with regards to changing the electoral voting patterns.
The project, in its widespread and intensive form, is suspected to have begun in the early 1990s after the entry of United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) into Sabah politics. However, there were also allegations of mass immigration and naturalization of migrants in the 1970s under the United Sabah National Organization (USNO) government, and in the early 1980s under BERJAYA government. On a nationwide scale, illegal immigration is a major social issue. The problem is linked with alleged phantom voters also seen in other parts of Malaysia during elections.
Contents
1 Background
2 Modus operandi
3 Government actions
4 References
Background
Sabah together with Sarawak, Singapore, and Malaya together formed the federation of Malaysia on September 16, 1963. Sabah was multiracial state with no clear majority race, but with the Kadazandusun as the largest ethnic group. Unlike other states in Peninsular Malaysia, the majority of natives or bumiputras in Sabah are non-Muslims. In 1960, the state comprised:
32% Kadazandusuns,
4.9% Muruts,
0.4% Malays,
13.1% Bajaus,
23% Chinese,
15.8% Other Muslims,
5.5% Indonesians, and
1.6% Filipinos.
Based on this ethnic composition, the Kadazandusun dominated the political scene and the first chief minister appointed was Tun Fuad Stephens, a Kadazandusun. Tun Fuad played an important role in the negotiations involving the independence of Sabah together with Tun Mustapha, a Bajau. After the formation, Tun Mustapha was made governor (Yang di-Pertua Negeri). Subsequent to this, various political parties, mostly racially-based, took turns in helming government.
Tun Mustapha's United Sabah National Organization (USNO) took control of the state in 1967. The mainly Bajau Muslim party relied on Muslim votes in elections. Similarly for other Kadazan-based party or Chinese-based party, who rely on votes from their respective communities.
Later, BERJAYA took control of the state. This party was more multiracial in its composition of member, but was headed by Muslim leaders such as Harris Salleh.
There had been allegations of mass naturalization of illegal immigrants during the tenure of Tun Mustapha and Harris Salleh. There was even one instance of Harris Salleh openly admitting to carrying out and planning to overwhelm the demography of Sabah in favor of Muslims.
Meanwhile on a national level, politics were dominated by UMNO, a Malay-based party. Both USNO and BERJAYA had worked closely with UMNO at certain points in history. In 1985, a largely Kadazandusun party, Parti Bersatu Sabah, won in the state election that year.
The 1986 Sabah riots ensued in shortly after the results were announced to bring down the party president, Joseph Pairin Kitingan, as chief minister. In 1990, BERJAYA and USNO, decided to dissolve their party and form the Sabah chapter of UMNO. This party relied on membership from Muslim citizens of Sabah, be they Bajau, Suluk, Bugis, or others.
The practice of naturalizing immigrants was further intensified to guarantee their dominance in Sabah. They realised a great potential in altering the demography in their favor since most immigrants into Sabah were Muslims from Indonesia and southern Philippines. Later in 1994, UMNO managed to get hold of the government despite losing in the elections that year.
In 2006, the estimated ethnic composition of Sabah are as follows:
17.76% Kadazandusuns,
3.3% Muruts,
11.48% Malays,
13.4% Bajaus,
9.6% Chinese,
14.62% Other Bumiputras,
4.8% Others,
25% Non-citizens
Project IC is not so concerned with the 25% of non-citizens as this denotes immigrants without Malaysian ICs.
The main point of contention when comparing the statistics for 1960 and 2006 is with regards to the sharp increase of "Malays", as well as the large number of "Other Bumiputras".
There is also the significant drop in the percentage of the non-Muslim population, namely, Kadazandusuns, Muruts, and Chinese. After Barisan Nasional regained power in 1994, the rotation system was introduced, whereby the chief minister's post is rotated among the representatives of the three different communities in Sabah, namely, the Muslim Bumiputras, Non-Muslim Bumiputras, and the Chinese. However, after 2005, BN decided to do away with the rotation system, giving the post to UMNO's representative, led by current chief minister Musa Aman. Following the 2008 state election, BN currently controls the state winning 59 out of 60 state assembly seats on offer. Out of the 59 BN seats, 32 are from UMNO, while the rest are held by various predominantly non-Muslim parties.
Modus operandi
The project is a complex matter involving certain political parties as well as various government agencies including the Election Commission of Malaysia, the National Registration Department and the Immigration Department, which comes under the purview of the Ministry of Home Affairs. The suspicions and allegations on the existence of Project IC started in around the mid-1990s.
In 1999, a petition was made to nullify the results of the 1999 state election for the constituency of Likas based on the existence of thousands of dubious names found on the electoral roll. The seat was won by Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) candidate, President, and former chief minister, Yong Teck Lee. SAPP is part of the Barisan Nasional coalition.
The petitioner was Chong Eng Leong of Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), who lost in that seat. PBS was at that time not part of the BN coalition. One of the witness at the petition was Mutalib Mohd Daud, the former Silam Umno Division Executive Secretary. Mutalib was from Peninsula Malaysia who migrated to Sabah in the 1970s.
He noted at the petition that among the 43,000 newly recruited UMNO members only 14,000 had genuine identity cards. Mutalib had also written a number of books exposing accounts of questionable granting of citizenship to foreigners. Among his books were, IC Palsu: Merampas Hak Anak Sabah (1999) (Fake IC: Taking Away the Rights of Sabahans), Pengundi Untuk Disewa (Voters for Rent), IC Projek Agenda Tersembunyi Mahathir?'" (2006) (IC Project, Mahathir's Hidden Agenda?), 007 Lelaki Malaysia Terakhir (2007) (The Last Malaysian).
Another witness was UMNO's Chief Information Officer Karim bin Ghani who was alleged to have written a letter to all UMNO branches in Sabah. The letter purportedly contained directions on the handling of Project IC. Karim claimed that he did not write the letter and that his signature was forged. The judge however viewed his bare denial with deep suspicion.
The judge presiding the petition, Justice Muhammad Kamil bin Awang, ruled in favour of the petitioner and declared that the 1999 election result for Likas a nullity. He also mentioned in his judgement that he had received instructions over the phone to have the petitions struck out without hearing—an instruction which he dutifully ignored.
In 2007, the former Sandakan district chief Hassnar Ebrahim made a statement confessing being involved in Project IC. He was a former detainee of the Internal Security Act in 1998. He also testified in the petition for the annulment of the Likas state assembly district election in 1999.
Hassnar had exposed in specific details of the modus operandi of project of which he had witnessed. He mentioned a secret meeting between former Sabah chief minister Harris Salleh and Federal Minister Megat Junid Megat Ayub in Hong Kong. Hassnar claimed that 130,000 illegal immigrants were given ICs in 1985 alone. He also claimed that the aim of the operation was to increase the Muslim population of Sabah.
It has been said that the project was a secret policy of the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, in particular United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), in order to attain political domination in the state using the votes of these immigrants.
The immigrants are picked from those communities which would more closely resemble the Malay culture, or those who would most easily be assimilated into Malay culture. Main indicators would be if the immigrants were Muslims and if they speak Malay. It was acknowledged by the judge in the 1999 Likas petition in reference to Ops Gembeling, that the target of the operation were the "Malays of Bugis origin".
In response to a 2007 Parliamentary Select Committee, popular Malaysian news blog Malaysia Today alleges that UMNO had made a deal with the government of Libya and the Abu Sayyaf militant Islamic group in the Philippines to bring in 1 million new Muslim voters from Philippines into Sabah.
Parti Keadilan Rakyat vice president Jeffrey Kitingan alleges that there are 600,000 immigrants with ICs out of an estimated 1.7 million foreigners in Sabah. The estimated population in Sabah in 2006 was 2,997,000.[5] Most of the foreigners in Sabah are from Indonesia and the Philippines.
Government actions
Throughout the 1990s, several government officers were arrested under the Internal Security Act for their involvements in Project IC. A Parliamentary Select Committee on Integrity was set up to hear testimonies of some of the detainees in February 2007.
The committee was chaired by Sabah Member of Parliament Bernard Dompok. On May 16, 2007, Dompok quit as chairman of the committee over disagreements on the function and scope of the commitee, in particular, over the refusal of the National Registration Department to appear before the committee. Later on, the findings of the committee was never made public.
In May 2008, Member of Parliament (MP) Lim Kit Siang tabled a motion to set up a Royal Commission to investigate the problems relating to illegal immigrants in Sabah.
The motion however was rejected by the Deputy Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat Ronald Kiandee saying that the motion was irrelevant and was tabled at the wrong time.
Several MPs from Sabah gave lukewarm response towards the proposed motion preferring instead a Parliamentary Select Committee which would necessitate the involvement of elected MPs, especially from Sabah. Subsequently, Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi announced the setting up of a high powered cabinet committee chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to resolve this matter.
However, senior Sabahan politician Chong Eng Leong argued that similar committees had been set up in 2000 and 2006 without much results. The Consumers Association of Sabah and Labuan (CASH) contends that the announcement of, among others, the setting up of the cabinet committee, was a mere lip service to pacify the people of Sabah.
There has been several government crackdown operation to deport illegal immigrants since the 1990s. The latest crackdown is due to begin in August 2008.
These operations will serve to deport immigrants without proper documentations such as ICs or a valid work permit. It does not serve to address the issue of Project IC.
References
^ "SPECIAL REPORT: Sabah's Project M" (fee required), Malaysiakini (June 27, 2006). Retrieved on 23 April 2008.
^ "Proof is everywhere, Salleh told", Daily Express (December 19, 2006). Retrieved on 23 April 2008.
^ Mutalib M.D. "IC Projek Agenda Tersembunyi Mahathir?" (2006)
^ a b c d e f Sadiq, Kamal (2005). "When States Prefer Non-Citizens Over Citizens: Conflict Over Illegal Immigration into Malaysia" (PDF). International Studies Quarterly 49: 101-122. http://www.cri.uci.edu/pdf/ISQ2005FinalCopy.pdf. Retrieved on 23 April 2008.
^ a b "Monthly Statistical Bulletin, January 2007: Sabah", Department of Statistics Malaysia, ISSN 18231659
^ "2004 seats formula: CM", Daily Express (February 14, 2008). Retrieved on 28 April 2008.
^ a b c d "Phantoms on the Roll in Sabah: Judgment by Justice Datuk Hj Muhammad Kamil bin Awang on Election Petition No K11 of 1999". Aliran Monthly. Retrieved on 2008-04-24.
^ a b "'Express reports true'", Daily Express (Sabah) (January 20, 2007). Retrieved on 23 April 2008.
^ "Harris, Megat Junid implicated In ‘Project IC’", Borneo Post. Retrieved on 28 April 2008.
^ a b "Stuff Hollywood movie scripts are made of (part 1)". Malaysia Today (March 4, 2007). Retrieved on 2008-06-04.
^ "Dompok and Nazri disagree over function of integrity panel", The Star (May 18, 2007). Retrieved on 1 August 2008.
^ "Bernard quits parliamentary integrity panel", The Sun (May 16, 2007). Retrieved on 1 August 2008.
^ "Kiandee stops Kit Siang’s bid", The Star (May 23, 2008). Retrieved on 4 June 2008.
^ "Sabah MPs prefer select committee", The Star (May 24, 2008). Retrieved on 4 June 2008.
^ "Project IC: PM's cabinet committee not new, says PBS leader" (fee required), Malaysiakini.com (June 2, 2008). Retrieved on 4 June 2008.
^ "“Goodies” a lip service to pacify people: CASH", New Sabah Times (June 3, 2008). Retrieved on 4 June 2008.
^ "Crackdown on illegal immigrants in Sabah to start in August", The Star (July 17, 2008). Retrieved on 1 August 2008.
Source : Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Is project IC a myth or is it for real? How is it Non Sabahan and Non Malaysia knows and are more concern that Sabahan. Even the Deputy Parliment Speaker, Ronald Kiandee, himself a Sabahan, rejected the motion on the Royal Commission of Inquiry on the ground that the RCI motion " was irrelevant.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Project IC is the name used in Malaysia to describe the allegation of systematic granting of citizenship to immigrants (whether illegal or legal immigrants) by giving them identity documents known as IC (identity card), and subsequently, MyKad. The alleged practice is centered in the state of Sabah in East Malaysia. The term is used mainly by the media as well as other political commentators and the general public. Another term used is Project M, where "M" stood for Mahathir Mohamad, the former prime minister of Malaysia due to his being allegedly involved in the spearheading of this project. The alleged object of Project IC is to alter the demographic pattern of Sabah to make it more favorable to the ruling government and certain political parties, especially with regards to changing the electoral voting patterns.
The project, in its widespread and intensive form, is suspected to have begun in the early 1990s after the entry of United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) into Sabah politics. However, there were also allegations of mass immigration and naturalization of migrants in the 1970s under the United Sabah National Organization (USNO) government, and in the early 1980s under BERJAYA government. On a nationwide scale, illegal immigration is a major social issue. The problem is linked with alleged phantom voters also seen in other parts of Malaysia during elections.
Contents
1 Background
2 Modus operandi
3 Government actions
4 References
Background
Sabah together with Sarawak, Singapore, and Malaya together formed the federation of Malaysia on September 16, 1963. Sabah was multiracial state with no clear majority race, but with the Kadazandusun as the largest ethnic group. Unlike other states in Peninsular Malaysia, the majority of natives or bumiputras in Sabah are non-Muslims. In 1960, the state comprised:
32% Kadazandusuns,
4.9% Muruts,
0.4% Malays,
13.1% Bajaus,
23% Chinese,
15.8% Other Muslims,
5.5% Indonesians, and
1.6% Filipinos.
Based on this ethnic composition, the Kadazandusun dominated the political scene and the first chief minister appointed was Tun Fuad Stephens, a Kadazandusun. Tun Fuad played an important role in the negotiations involving the independence of Sabah together with Tun Mustapha, a Bajau. After the formation, Tun Mustapha was made governor (Yang di-Pertua Negeri). Subsequent to this, various political parties, mostly racially-based, took turns in helming government.
Tun Mustapha's United Sabah National Organization (USNO) took control of the state in 1967. The mainly Bajau Muslim party relied on Muslim votes in elections. Similarly for other Kadazan-based party or Chinese-based party, who rely on votes from their respective communities.
Later, BERJAYA took control of the state. This party was more multiracial in its composition of member, but was headed by Muslim leaders such as Harris Salleh.
There had been allegations of mass naturalization of illegal immigrants during the tenure of Tun Mustapha and Harris Salleh. There was even one instance of Harris Salleh openly admitting to carrying out and planning to overwhelm the demography of Sabah in favor of Muslims.
Meanwhile on a national level, politics were dominated by UMNO, a Malay-based party. Both USNO and BERJAYA had worked closely with UMNO at certain points in history. In 1985, a largely Kadazandusun party, Parti Bersatu Sabah, won in the state election that year.
The 1986 Sabah riots ensued in shortly after the results were announced to bring down the party president, Joseph Pairin Kitingan, as chief minister. In 1990, BERJAYA and USNO, decided to dissolve their party and form the Sabah chapter of UMNO. This party relied on membership from Muslim citizens of Sabah, be they Bajau, Suluk, Bugis, or others.
The practice of naturalizing immigrants was further intensified to guarantee their dominance in Sabah. They realised a great potential in altering the demography in their favor since most immigrants into Sabah were Muslims from Indonesia and southern Philippines. Later in 1994, UMNO managed to get hold of the government despite losing in the elections that year.
In 2006, the estimated ethnic composition of Sabah are as follows:
17.76% Kadazandusuns,
3.3% Muruts,
11.48% Malays,
13.4% Bajaus,
9.6% Chinese,
14.62% Other Bumiputras,
4.8% Others,
25% Non-citizens
Project IC is not so concerned with the 25% of non-citizens as this denotes immigrants without Malaysian ICs.
The main point of contention when comparing the statistics for 1960 and 2006 is with regards to the sharp increase of "Malays", as well as the large number of "Other Bumiputras".
There is also the significant drop in the percentage of the non-Muslim population, namely, Kadazandusuns, Muruts, and Chinese. After Barisan Nasional regained power in 1994, the rotation system was introduced, whereby the chief minister's post is rotated among the representatives of the three different communities in Sabah, namely, the Muslim Bumiputras, Non-Muslim Bumiputras, and the Chinese. However, after 2005, BN decided to do away with the rotation system, giving the post to UMNO's representative, led by current chief minister Musa Aman. Following the 2008 state election, BN currently controls the state winning 59 out of 60 state assembly seats on offer. Out of the 59 BN seats, 32 are from UMNO, while the rest are held by various predominantly non-Muslim parties.
Modus operandi
The project is a complex matter involving certain political parties as well as various government agencies including the Election Commission of Malaysia, the National Registration Department and the Immigration Department, which comes under the purview of the Ministry of Home Affairs. The suspicions and allegations on the existence of Project IC started in around the mid-1990s.
In 1999, a petition was made to nullify the results of the 1999 state election for the constituency of Likas based on the existence of thousands of dubious names found on the electoral roll. The seat was won by Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) candidate, President, and former chief minister, Yong Teck Lee. SAPP is part of the Barisan Nasional coalition.
The petitioner was Chong Eng Leong of Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), who lost in that seat. PBS was at that time not part of the BN coalition. One of the witness at the petition was Mutalib Mohd Daud, the former Silam Umno Division Executive Secretary. Mutalib was from Peninsula Malaysia who migrated to Sabah in the 1970s.
He noted at the petition that among the 43,000 newly recruited UMNO members only 14,000 had genuine identity cards. Mutalib had also written a number of books exposing accounts of questionable granting of citizenship to foreigners. Among his books were, IC Palsu: Merampas Hak Anak Sabah (1999) (Fake IC: Taking Away the Rights of Sabahans), Pengundi Untuk Disewa (Voters for Rent), IC Projek Agenda Tersembunyi Mahathir?'" (2006) (IC Project, Mahathir's Hidden Agenda?), 007 Lelaki Malaysia Terakhir (2007) (The Last Malaysian).
Another witness was UMNO's Chief Information Officer Karim bin Ghani who was alleged to have written a letter to all UMNO branches in Sabah. The letter purportedly contained directions on the handling of Project IC. Karim claimed that he did not write the letter and that his signature was forged. The judge however viewed his bare denial with deep suspicion.
The judge presiding the petition, Justice Muhammad Kamil bin Awang, ruled in favour of the petitioner and declared that the 1999 election result for Likas a nullity. He also mentioned in his judgement that he had received instructions over the phone to have the petitions struck out without hearing—an instruction which he dutifully ignored.
In 2007, the former Sandakan district chief Hassnar Ebrahim made a statement confessing being involved in Project IC. He was a former detainee of the Internal Security Act in 1998. He also testified in the petition for the annulment of the Likas state assembly district election in 1999.
Hassnar had exposed in specific details of the modus operandi of project of which he had witnessed. He mentioned a secret meeting between former Sabah chief minister Harris Salleh and Federal Minister Megat Junid Megat Ayub in Hong Kong. Hassnar claimed that 130,000 illegal immigrants were given ICs in 1985 alone. He also claimed that the aim of the operation was to increase the Muslim population of Sabah.
It has been said that the project was a secret policy of the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, in particular United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), in order to attain political domination in the state using the votes of these immigrants.
The immigrants are picked from those communities which would more closely resemble the Malay culture, or those who would most easily be assimilated into Malay culture. Main indicators would be if the immigrants were Muslims and if they speak Malay. It was acknowledged by the judge in the 1999 Likas petition in reference to Ops Gembeling, that the target of the operation were the "Malays of Bugis origin".
In response to a 2007 Parliamentary Select Committee, popular Malaysian news blog Malaysia Today alleges that UMNO had made a deal with the government of Libya and the Abu Sayyaf militant Islamic group in the Philippines to bring in 1 million new Muslim voters from Philippines into Sabah.
Parti Keadilan Rakyat vice president Jeffrey Kitingan alleges that there are 600,000 immigrants with ICs out of an estimated 1.7 million foreigners in Sabah. The estimated population in Sabah in 2006 was 2,997,000.[5] Most of the foreigners in Sabah are from Indonesia and the Philippines.
Government actions
Throughout the 1990s, several government officers were arrested under the Internal Security Act for their involvements in Project IC. A Parliamentary Select Committee on Integrity was set up to hear testimonies of some of the detainees in February 2007.
The committee was chaired by Sabah Member of Parliament Bernard Dompok. On May 16, 2007, Dompok quit as chairman of the committee over disagreements on the function and scope of the commitee, in particular, over the refusal of the National Registration Department to appear before the committee. Later on, the findings of the committee was never made public.
In May 2008, Member of Parliament (MP) Lim Kit Siang tabled a motion to set up a Royal Commission to investigate the problems relating to illegal immigrants in Sabah.
The motion however was rejected by the Deputy Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat Ronald Kiandee saying that the motion was irrelevant and was tabled at the wrong time.
Several MPs from Sabah gave lukewarm response towards the proposed motion preferring instead a Parliamentary Select Committee which would necessitate the involvement of elected MPs, especially from Sabah. Subsequently, Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi announced the setting up of a high powered cabinet committee chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to resolve this matter.
However, senior Sabahan politician Chong Eng Leong argued that similar committees had been set up in 2000 and 2006 without much results. The Consumers Association of Sabah and Labuan (CASH) contends that the announcement of, among others, the setting up of the cabinet committee, was a mere lip service to pacify the people of Sabah.
There has been several government crackdown operation to deport illegal immigrants since the 1990s. The latest crackdown is due to begin in August 2008.
These operations will serve to deport immigrants without proper documentations such as ICs or a valid work permit. It does not serve to address the issue of Project IC.
References
^ "SPECIAL REPORT: Sabah's Project M" (fee required), Malaysiakini (June 27, 2006). Retrieved on 23 April 2008.
^ "Proof is everywhere, Salleh told", Daily Express (December 19, 2006). Retrieved on 23 April 2008.
^ Mutalib M.D. "IC Projek Agenda Tersembunyi Mahathir?" (2006)
^ a b c d e f Sadiq, Kamal (2005). "When States Prefer Non-Citizens Over Citizens: Conflict Over Illegal Immigration into Malaysia" (PDF). International Studies Quarterly 49: 101-122. http://www.cri.uci.edu/pdf/ISQ2005FinalCopy.pdf. Retrieved on 23 April 2008.
^ a b "Monthly Statistical Bulletin, January 2007: Sabah", Department of Statistics Malaysia, ISSN 18231659
^ "2004 seats formula: CM", Daily Express (February 14, 2008). Retrieved on 28 April 2008.
^ a b c d "Phantoms on the Roll in Sabah: Judgment by Justice Datuk Hj Muhammad Kamil bin Awang on Election Petition No K11 of 1999". Aliran Monthly. Retrieved on 2008-04-24.
^ a b "'Express reports true'", Daily Express (Sabah) (January 20, 2007). Retrieved on 23 April 2008.
^ "Harris, Megat Junid implicated In ‘Project IC’", Borneo Post. Retrieved on 28 April 2008.
^ a b "Stuff Hollywood movie scripts are made of (part 1)". Malaysia Today (March 4, 2007). Retrieved on 2008-06-04.
^ "Dompok and Nazri disagree over function of integrity panel", The Star (May 18, 2007). Retrieved on 1 August 2008.
^ "Bernard quits parliamentary integrity panel", The Sun (May 16, 2007). Retrieved on 1 August 2008.
^ "Kiandee stops Kit Siang’s bid", The Star (May 23, 2008). Retrieved on 4 June 2008.
^ "Sabah MPs prefer select committee", The Star (May 24, 2008). Retrieved on 4 June 2008.
^ "Project IC: PM's cabinet committee not new, says PBS leader" (fee required), Malaysiakini.com (June 2, 2008). Retrieved on 4 June 2008.
^ "“Goodies” a lip service to pacify people: CASH", New Sabah Times (June 3, 2008). Retrieved on 4 June 2008.
^ "Crackdown on illegal immigrants in Sabah to start in August", The Star (July 17, 2008). Retrieved on 1 August 2008.
Source : Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Is project IC a myth or is it for real? How is it Non Sabahan and Non Malaysia knows and are more concern that Sabahan. Even the Deputy Parliment Speaker, Ronald Kiandee, himself a Sabahan, rejected the motion on the Royal Commission of Inquiry on the ground that the RCI motion " was irrelevant.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
KK Umno: Illegals should apply for citizenship
DAILY EXPRESS NEWS
-----------------------------------------------
KK Umno: Illegals should apply for citizenship
21 December, 2006
Kota Kinabalu: Steps must be taken to educate foreigners, especially illegal immigrants "who love Sabah very much" that there are proper procedures to apply for citizenship," said Umno Kota Kinabalu Youth.
"We should educate these illegals who 'love Sabah very much' that there are proper procedures to apply for citizenship. It is better to have real citizenship although the process to get it is slow.
"Compared to 'fast citizenship', which is not guaranteed and most of the times a scam," said its chief, Bahrul Razha Hj Chuprat in a statement, Wednesday.
He said Umno Kota Kinabalu Youth believe there is also a need to educate immigrants with expired visas to return home for revalidation of their visas, enabling them to return to Sabah to seek re-employment.
"We should educate these immigrants that foreign workers with valid visas can enjoy better benefits compared to illegal workers," he said.
At the same time, he said awareness must be created among the locals so that they shed the mentality of "cepat kaya" (making fast bucks) by employing or "sometime exploiting these illegal immigrants as cheap labour".
The locals must also be educated to discard the mentality of renting houses or rooms to these illegal immigrants and sometimes exploiting them by offering poor condition accommodation, he said.
Lastly, Bahrul said, "we should educate our own people not to have the mentality of "cepat kaya" by Ali Baba-ing (sub-contracting) their licences to these illegal immigrants who might not even know the rules and regulations governing the licence.
Daily Express
Seem like Umno Kota Kinabalu Youth is aknowledging there is some fast track citizenship given to illegals....
-----------------------------------------------
KK Umno: Illegals should apply for citizenship
21 December, 2006
Kota Kinabalu: Steps must be taken to educate foreigners, especially illegal immigrants "who love Sabah very much" that there are proper procedures to apply for citizenship," said Umno Kota Kinabalu Youth.
"We should educate these illegals who 'love Sabah very much' that there are proper procedures to apply for citizenship. It is better to have real citizenship although the process to get it is slow.
"Compared to 'fast citizenship', which is not guaranteed and most of the times a scam," said its chief, Bahrul Razha Hj Chuprat in a statement, Wednesday.
He said Umno Kota Kinabalu Youth believe there is also a need to educate immigrants with expired visas to return home for revalidation of their visas, enabling them to return to Sabah to seek re-employment.
"We should educate these immigrants that foreign workers with valid visas can enjoy better benefits compared to illegal workers," he said.
At the same time, he said awareness must be created among the locals so that they shed the mentality of "cepat kaya" (making fast bucks) by employing or "sometime exploiting these illegal immigrants as cheap labour".
The locals must also be educated to discard the mentality of renting houses or rooms to these illegal immigrants and sometimes exploiting them by offering poor condition accommodation, he said.
Lastly, Bahrul said, "we should educate our own people not to have the mentality of "cepat kaya" by Ali Baba-ing (sub-contracting) their licences to these illegal immigrants who might not even know the rules and regulations governing the licence.
Daily Express
Seem like Umno Kota Kinabalu Youth is aknowledging there is some fast track citizenship given to illegals....
Aliens in East Malaysia
Aliens in East Malaysia
Posted by St Low
Tuesday, 14 October 2008 09:21
By Sim Kwang Yang, The Nut Graph
TO those in the Klang Valley who read papers like The Star and The New Straits Times, Sabah must sound like the remote edge of the nation. It is out there, a huge chunk of real estate inhabited by exotic people speaking a strange version of Bahasa Malaysia.
Therefore, it would not be so clear to those participating in the national narrative why Sabahans make such a big deal about illegal immigrants. Are they not in all corners of the nation, numbering in the millions, working in jobs deemed neither lucrative nor respectable enough by Malaysian citizens?
Unfortunately, the national narrative does not always take into account the meek voices of Sabahans. Their problems are often considered too parochial to be of national concern.
Ask any Sabahan though, and he or she will tell you that there is no greater security and social problem facing Sabah today than that of illegal aliens. It is a daily nightmare that Sabahans have to live through and watch helplessly as it reels out of control.
(© Charlie Bishop/Dreamstime)Exactly how many illegal immigrants there are in Sabah is anybody's guess. I have been told by a friend from Sabah that one in every two persons in the state could be an illegal alien.
Immigrant facts and figures
Recently, Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) deputy president and Member of Parliament (MP) for Sepanggar Datuk Eric Majimbun expressed shock at discovering a MyKad bearing his surname and address.
He was shocked because the card belonged to a Filipino illegal immigrant.
According to news reports, Majimbun said based on the 1970-2000 census, the population in Sabah increased from 636,431 to 2,449,389 (285%) over 30 years. Compare this with Sarawak's 106% (from 976,269 to 2,012,616) and Peninsula Malaysia's 113% (from 10,439,430 to 22,202,614).
He also queried census conducted by the government in Sabah, which showed a 236% increase in the Kadazandusun population between 1960 and 2000. For other bumiputera, it increased by 631%.
The figures tell the story. In Sabah, as in Sarawak, the Malay/Muslim population forms a small minority, an anomaly within the context of Malay dominance demanded by the nationalist narrative of Umno. The politics of race is the politics of counting heads, and by that logic, the chief minister of Sabah cannot be a Malay leader.
The rumour that has been going round in Sabah for decades is that certain politicians have been facilitating an increase in the Muslim population. These politicians allegedly engineer the issuance of Malaysian identity cards to illegal immigrants from the Muslim south of the Philippines and neighbouring Indonesia. This would dilute and therefore marginalise the political significance of the non-Muslim Kadazandusun people of Sabah.
Permanent resident status
Whenever there is uproar in Kota Kinabalu about the dangerous presence of these illegal immigrants, the federal government sends in a task force of sorts. A few thousand of these aliens are then deported. When the furore dies down, these deported foreigners can re-enter Sabah by the next boat or ferry.
To add insult to injury, native Sabahans who try to replace their old ICs with MyKad have been demoted to permanent resident status. This denies them the chance to even vote.
I have been to Sabah many times. In cities and suburbs, there are pockets with almost exclusive Filipino populations that sound, look, and smell more like a slum in Manila or Zamboanga than a piece of Malaysian soil.[color=#FF0000]For Sabahans, the massive and ubiquitous presence of these illegal immigrants feels like an alien growth in their body. Being so muted and so far away, their unease is not shared by Malaysians elsewhere.[/color]
The gravity of this issue drove the SAPP to threaten a vote of no confidence in the prime minister, and subsequently it pulled out of the Barisan Nasional (BN). Recently, even United Pasokmomogun Kazadandusun Murut Organisation leaders have been echoing this unhappiness with the central government.
Finally, the deputy president of Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), Datuk Dr Maximus Ongkili, announced that Sabah BN component parties would get to the bottom of the issue. What he omitted to say was that the massive and long-standing problem of illegal immigrants cannot be solved without focused political will from Kuala Lumpur.
Solutions and preoccupations
The obvious step to take is the establishment of a royal commission of enquiry specifically designed to investigate all aspects of this issue. This should include a thorough vetting of the National Registration Department in Sabah from top to bottom, as well as any political linkage that might exist in this burgeoning problem.
Unfortunately for Sabahans, the people in the power centre in Kuala Lumpur are all too busy with their party elections. They are also busy putting out sporadic fires on the economic front. Nothing can be further from their mind than the daily problems faced by distant, remote and inconsequential Sabahans.
That is all the reason needed for Sabahan MPs to jump ship and join Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's coalition. Provided, of course, Anwar can promise and deliver a comprehensive plan to weed out the illegal immigrants from the Land Below the Wind once and for all.
Without a change of government at the federal level, both Sarawak and Sabah cannot enjoy the fruits of federalism.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sim Kwang Yang was DAP MP for Bandar Kuching in Sarawak from 1982 to 1995. His column, An Examined Life, is published weekly on Malaysiakini.com.
Source : Malaysiakini
Foreigners already the single largest group in Sabah
DAILY EXPRESS NEWS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Foreigners already the single largest group
03 August, 2008
NON-citizens already account for the single largest group in Sabah, representing about 24.8 per cent (or 747,800) out of the State's total population of 3,015,000, in 2005.
Malaysians outnumber them in Sabah only if all the various ethnic groups are looked at collectively, instead of singly.
This information is based on the Statistics Department's (State/District Data Bank 2005; General Report of the Population Census, Volume 1, 1980) breakdown showing the Kadazandusun as the second largest at 17.5 per cent, followed by Other Bumiputera (14.6 per cent), Bajau (13 per cent) and Malays (12.2 per cent).
The rest were Chinese who accounted for 9.7 per cent, Others (4.8 per cent) and Murut (3.2 per cent).
The Federation of Chinese Associations Sabah (FCAS), which distributed this data, also stated that only 230,000 of the 747,800 non-citizens in Sabah were legal workers while the rest were either illegal immigrants, illegal workers or legal workers.
Most of these non-citizens were Filipinos and Indonesians, it said.
FCAS stated that the department's Yearbook of Statistics - Sabah 2007 also revealed in year 2000 there were 2,603,485 people in Sabah. Of this 1,988,661 (76.38 per cent) were Malaysian citizens and the remaining 614,824 (23.61 per cent) were non-Malaysians.
Sabah's population is estimated to be 3,600,000 in 2008, of which 1,500,000 are foreigners, thus making 58 per cent Malaysians and 42 per cent non-Malaysians.
FCAS also mentioned that the Employment and Unemployment Statistics in Sabah in 2006 showed the labour force in Sabah numbered 1,264,100 people of whom were 1,190,700 and 73,500 unemployed.
The same statistics also revealed that the total number of employable people in Sabah in 2006 stood at 2,528,300.
The Number of Employed Persons By Industry in Sabah in 2006 showed that 323,300 out of the 1,190,700 were working in the agriculture and forestry sector; 187,600 were in the wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and household goods sector; 136,000 in the manufacturing sector; 92,100 in the construction sector; 87,100 in the public administration and defence sector; 67,100 in education sector; and 56,300 in transports, storage and communications sector.
Under the Number of Employed Persons By Occupation in Sabah in 2006, FCAS stated that 319,600 of the 1,190,700 employed were skilled agricultural and fishery workers; 180,700 were service workers and shop and market sales workers; 140,300 elementary occupations; 133,600 plant and machine operators and assemblers; 111,100 craft and related trade workers; 97,600 clerical workers; and others with professions recorded at 35,500.
Under the Number of Employed Persons By Age Group (between 15 and 64-years-old), 194,100 of those employed were in the 20-24 age group; 193,300 in the 25-29 age group; 171,400 in the 30-34 age group; and 153,000 in the age group of 35-39.
Under the Crime Reported To The Police By Nature of Offence it was revealed that in 2002 crimes such as murder, robbery and extortion, rape amounted to 630 cases while in 2006 the number jumped to 1,702 (a 170 per cent increase).
Crime on property in 2006 amounted to 5,246 cases, which was an increase by 56 per cent compared to the 3,365 cases in 2002. Housebreaking amounted to 1,487 cases, increased by 243 per cent, compared to 243 per cent in 2002.
The Prison Statistics for Sabah showed the total number of people convicted of crime and imprisoned for 2006 was 16,030 people whereas in 2002 the figure stood at 5,575 people (a 188 per cent increase).
Source :Daily Express
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Foreigners already the single largest group
03 August, 2008
NON-citizens already account for the single largest group in Sabah, representing about 24.8 per cent (or 747,800) out of the State's total population of 3,015,000, in 2005.
Malaysians outnumber them in Sabah only if all the various ethnic groups are looked at collectively, instead of singly.
This information is based on the Statistics Department's (State/District Data Bank 2005; General Report of the Population Census, Volume 1, 1980) breakdown showing the Kadazandusun as the second largest at 17.5 per cent, followed by Other Bumiputera (14.6 per cent), Bajau (13 per cent) and Malays (12.2 per cent).
The rest were Chinese who accounted for 9.7 per cent, Others (4.8 per cent) and Murut (3.2 per cent).
The Federation of Chinese Associations Sabah (FCAS), which distributed this data, also stated that only 230,000 of the 747,800 non-citizens in Sabah were legal workers while the rest were either illegal immigrants, illegal workers or legal workers.
Most of these non-citizens were Filipinos and Indonesians, it said.
FCAS stated that the department's Yearbook of Statistics - Sabah 2007 also revealed in year 2000 there were 2,603,485 people in Sabah. Of this 1,988,661 (76.38 per cent) were Malaysian citizens and the remaining 614,824 (23.61 per cent) were non-Malaysians.
Sabah's population is estimated to be 3,600,000 in 2008, of which 1,500,000 are foreigners, thus making 58 per cent Malaysians and 42 per cent non-Malaysians.
FCAS also mentioned that the Employment and Unemployment Statistics in Sabah in 2006 showed the labour force in Sabah numbered 1,264,100 people of whom were 1,190,700 and 73,500 unemployed.
The same statistics also revealed that the total number of employable people in Sabah in 2006 stood at 2,528,300.
The Number of Employed Persons By Industry in Sabah in 2006 showed that 323,300 out of the 1,190,700 were working in the agriculture and forestry sector; 187,600 were in the wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles and household goods sector; 136,000 in the manufacturing sector; 92,100 in the construction sector; 87,100 in the public administration and defence sector; 67,100 in education sector; and 56,300 in transports, storage and communications sector.
Under the Number of Employed Persons By Occupation in Sabah in 2006, FCAS stated that 319,600 of the 1,190,700 employed were skilled agricultural and fishery workers; 180,700 were service workers and shop and market sales workers; 140,300 elementary occupations; 133,600 plant and machine operators and assemblers; 111,100 craft and related trade workers; 97,600 clerical workers; and others with professions recorded at 35,500.
Under the Number of Employed Persons By Age Group (between 15 and 64-years-old), 194,100 of those employed were in the 20-24 age group; 193,300 in the 25-29 age group; 171,400 in the 30-34 age group; and 153,000 in the age group of 35-39.
Under the Crime Reported To The Police By Nature of Offence it was revealed that in 2002 crimes such as murder, robbery and extortion, rape amounted to 630 cases while in 2006 the number jumped to 1,702 (a 170 per cent increase).
Crime on property in 2006 amounted to 5,246 cases, which was an increase by 56 per cent compared to the 3,365 cases in 2002. Housebreaking amounted to 1,487 cases, increased by 243 per cent, compared to 243 per cent in 2002.
The Prison Statistics for Sabah showed the total number of people convicted of crime and imprisoned for 2006 was 16,030 people whereas in 2002 the figure stood at 5,575 people (a 188 per cent increase).
Source :Daily Express
PTIs atau terrorist among our midst
Agenda Daily 31/05/06
II ditahan ISA …kumpulan radikal Darul Islam Sabah tidak mempunyai kaitan dengan Al Qaeda
Ketua Polis Negara Tan Sri Mohd Bakri Omar memberitahu Rabu Kumpulan radikal Islam yang dikenali sebagai Darul Islam Sabah yang mana 11 anggota telah ditahan di bawah Akta Keselamatan Dalam Negeri (ISA) baru-baru ini didapati tidak mempunyai kaitan dengan Al-Qaeda.
Katanya kejayaan polis menahan mereka antara 16 Mac dan 3 April lepas di Sabah dan Selangor itu telah membendung dengan berkesan aktiviti militan yang menggunakan Sabah untuk menyusup masuk ke selatan Filipina dan menyeludup senjata api dari selatan Filipina ke Indonesia.
Menurutnya berikutan penahanan 11 orang itu, termasuk tiga orang guru sementara dan seorang penyelia syarikat, polis mendapati dua sel Darul Islam Sabah wujud di Tawau dan Sandakan.
Mohd Bakri berkata kumpulan berkenaan juga sedang merancang mewujudkan Daulah Islamiah Nusantara meliputi Indonesia, Malaysia dan selatan Filipina secara militan.
"Kumpulan ini turut membantu tujuh militan Indonesia, termasuk Umar Patek dan Dul Matin yang terlibat dalam pengeboman Bali pada Oktober 2002, untuk menyusup masuk ke selatan Filipina dari Indonesia antara tahun 2003 dan Mac lepas," katanya kepada pemberita selepas menyampaikan sijil asas kepolisan Kadet Asst Supt Polis (ASP) dan Inspektor Percubaan di Kuala Lumpur .
Rakyat tempatan yang ditahan itu beralamat di Tawau, Sabah, termasuk dua orang guru iaitu Mohd Nazri Dollah, 31, dan Mohd Arshad Patangari, 22, seorang penggred balak A. Artas Burhanuddin, 38, pemandu teksi Francis Indanan, 38, dan Adzmi Pindatun, 22, yang tidak mempunyai pekerjaan tetap.
Seorang lagi rakyat tempatan yang ditahan ialah peniaga kurma Idris Lanama, 31, yang beralamat di Klang, Selangor.
Warga Indonesia yang ditahan terdiri daripada seorang guru sementara Aboud Ghafar Shahril, 38, beralamat di Tawau, Sabah; Zainuddin Suharno, 28, dari Jawa Tengah dan Jaki Hamid, 28, dari Sulawesi.
Sementara rakyat Filipina yang ditahan ialah seorang buruh kasar Jeknal Adil, 22, yang beralamat di Tawau, Sabah, seorang penyelia syarikat yang mempunyai status penduduk tetap Malaysia Binsali Omar, 40, yang beralamat di Sabah. Mohd Bakri berkata polis turut merampas dua pucuk pistol automatik dan 91 butir peluru daripada dua orang warga Indonesia yang ditahan itu, berserta buku dan dokumen tentang jihad.
Kumpulan itu didapati "berperanan menjadi transit kepada militan Indonesia untuk menyusup masuk ke selatan Filipina serta menyeludup senjata api dari selatan Filipina Ke Indonesia, selain mendapat latihan ketenteraan di selatan Filipina," katanya.
"Mereka juga telah menyeludup tiga laras M16, lapan pucuk pistol automatik dari selatan Filipina untuk kegunaan militan Indonesia antara tahun 2003 dan Mac lepas melalui Sabah," katanya.
"Dengan penangkapan ini, polis telah dapat melumpuhkan rangkaian bawah tanah kumpulan militan Darul Islam Sabah yang bekerjasama dengan militan Indonesia. Tindakan polis juga telah membendung dengan berkesan aktiviti militan terbabit yang menggunakan Sabah untuk menyusup masuk ke selatan Filipina dan menyeludup senjata api dari selatan Filipina ke Indonesia," katanya.
Beliau berkata polis akan meneruskan siasatan bagi memastikan sama ada saki-baki kumpulan itu masih wujud di negara ini.
Source : Agenda Daily
II ditahan ISA …kumpulan radikal Darul Islam Sabah tidak mempunyai kaitan dengan Al Qaeda
Ketua Polis Negara Tan Sri Mohd Bakri Omar memberitahu Rabu Kumpulan radikal Islam yang dikenali sebagai Darul Islam Sabah yang mana 11 anggota telah ditahan di bawah Akta Keselamatan Dalam Negeri (ISA) baru-baru ini didapati tidak mempunyai kaitan dengan Al-Qaeda.
Katanya kejayaan polis menahan mereka antara 16 Mac dan 3 April lepas di Sabah dan Selangor itu telah membendung dengan berkesan aktiviti militan yang menggunakan Sabah untuk menyusup masuk ke selatan Filipina dan menyeludup senjata api dari selatan Filipina ke Indonesia.
Menurutnya berikutan penahanan 11 orang itu, termasuk tiga orang guru sementara dan seorang penyelia syarikat, polis mendapati dua sel Darul Islam Sabah wujud di Tawau dan Sandakan.
Mohd Bakri berkata kumpulan berkenaan juga sedang merancang mewujudkan Daulah Islamiah Nusantara meliputi Indonesia, Malaysia dan selatan Filipina secara militan.
"Kumpulan ini turut membantu tujuh militan Indonesia, termasuk Umar Patek dan Dul Matin yang terlibat dalam pengeboman Bali pada Oktober 2002, untuk menyusup masuk ke selatan Filipina dari Indonesia antara tahun 2003 dan Mac lepas," katanya kepada pemberita selepas menyampaikan sijil asas kepolisan Kadet Asst Supt Polis (ASP) dan Inspektor Percubaan di Kuala Lumpur .
Rakyat tempatan yang ditahan itu beralamat di Tawau, Sabah, termasuk dua orang guru iaitu Mohd Nazri Dollah, 31, dan Mohd Arshad Patangari, 22, seorang penggred balak A. Artas Burhanuddin, 38, pemandu teksi Francis Indanan, 38, dan Adzmi Pindatun, 22, yang tidak mempunyai pekerjaan tetap.
Seorang lagi rakyat tempatan yang ditahan ialah peniaga kurma Idris Lanama, 31, yang beralamat di Klang, Selangor.
Warga Indonesia yang ditahan terdiri daripada seorang guru sementara Aboud Ghafar Shahril, 38, beralamat di Tawau, Sabah; Zainuddin Suharno, 28, dari Jawa Tengah dan Jaki Hamid, 28, dari Sulawesi.
Sementara rakyat Filipina yang ditahan ialah seorang buruh kasar Jeknal Adil, 22, yang beralamat di Tawau, Sabah, seorang penyelia syarikat yang mempunyai status penduduk tetap Malaysia Binsali Omar, 40, yang beralamat di Sabah. Mohd Bakri berkata polis turut merampas dua pucuk pistol automatik dan 91 butir peluru daripada dua orang warga Indonesia yang ditahan itu, berserta buku dan dokumen tentang jihad.
Kumpulan itu didapati "berperanan menjadi transit kepada militan Indonesia untuk menyusup masuk ke selatan Filipina serta menyeludup senjata api dari selatan Filipina Ke Indonesia, selain mendapat latihan ketenteraan di selatan Filipina," katanya.
"Mereka juga telah menyeludup tiga laras M16, lapan pucuk pistol automatik dari selatan Filipina untuk kegunaan militan Indonesia antara tahun 2003 dan Mac lepas melalui Sabah," katanya.
"Dengan penangkapan ini, polis telah dapat melumpuhkan rangkaian bawah tanah kumpulan militan Darul Islam Sabah yang bekerjasama dengan militan Indonesia. Tindakan polis juga telah membendung dengan berkesan aktiviti militan terbabit yang menggunakan Sabah untuk menyusup masuk ke selatan Filipina dan menyeludup senjata api dari selatan Filipina ke Indonesia," katanya.
Beliau berkata polis akan meneruskan siasatan bagi memastikan sama ada saki-baki kumpulan itu masih wujud di negara ini.
Source : Agenda Daily
Sabah: Rights groups talking nonsense
Sabah: Rights groups talking nonsense
Arianna | Aug 8, 08 3:30pm
I refer to the Malaysiankini report, Crackdown on illegals slammed. (Detail of the report read The Star.)
I would like to say to these rights groups, ‘Come and see the situation in Sabah first otherwise, shut up!’ That's all I have to say to these so-called rights groups.
Apparently you lot know nothing about the situation in Sabah. Is it 'noble' of you to take up the illegal immigrants’ plight and portray them as 'helpless and victimised people'. Really?
I do have compassion for foreigners, illegal or otherwise, but I do not condone their acts of coming into Sabah - by the millions for your information - through the back door.
Ask any Sabahan who has lived with these illegals all our lives. Remember, this is almost a 40-year-old problem. Today, their population compared to locals is 3 to 1 in their favour.
We've seen them slowly taking over our towns. Adults and children alike sell contraband not to mention the illegal hawking that cause headaches for the local authorities, police, local population and the health department.
Hey, they even make Sabah their 'war zone' by settling decades-old feuds that more often than not end up with killings. Ask the police if you doubt.
We've seen them introducing and smuggling in illegal drugs like 'syabu', bringing in firearms, a host of diseases all of which have resulted in a dramatic increase in our crime rate. Why do you think many of our homes are like ‘prisons’ installed with grills and extra padlocks?
Don't take my word for all this. I am sure the respective authorities would be more than happy to supply you with real statistics.
Why don't you rights groups visit our hospitals especially those in the east coast of Sabah? And our schools too. See for yourself how these illegals enjoy the facilities and rights that are only reserved for Malaysians.
You may also ask the health, education and defence ministries how much they've spent to provide such 'privileges' to these illegals. They run into the hundreds of millions of ringgit and that's Malaysian taxpayers’ money, if you didn't already know.
By the way, we have hundreds of so-called citizen-less children of these illegal immigrants roaming our streets either begging or harassing people to buy their plastic bags of contraband and even indulging in street gambling.
Since your rights groups are 'compassionate' towards these illegals, come on over and adopt these kids or build a home for them. Don't just talk. Walk the talk.
Did I mention that these illegals are mercenaries too? Hey, you can buy them for RM30 to RM50 per person to stage riots for you like they did in 1986. Or be used as 'phantom voters' in general elections.
So what do you great rights groups suggest we do? Give them permanent resident status like what a Sabah Umno leader suggested recently? And compromise the country's laws?
And when word of this gets around, wouldn't you think millions more would come to Sabah and once again out of compassion, we should grant them PR status?
Compassion has its limits. We Sabahans have reached our maximum limit. We have been more charitable than you rights groups can even imagine.
And look, we have been taken for granted. The illegals have overstayed their welcome. If these people want to work in Sabah, go back home and come back through the proper channels.
Otherwise, let our laws deal with them accordingly.
Source : Malaysiakini
Arianna | Aug 8, 08 3:30pm
I refer to the Malaysiankini report, Crackdown on illegals slammed. (Detail of the report read The Star.)
I would like to say to these rights groups, ‘Come and see the situation in Sabah first otherwise, shut up!’ That's all I have to say to these so-called rights groups.
Apparently you lot know nothing about the situation in Sabah. Is it 'noble' of you to take up the illegal immigrants’ plight and portray them as 'helpless and victimised people'. Really?
I do have compassion for foreigners, illegal or otherwise, but I do not condone their acts of coming into Sabah - by the millions for your information - through the back door.
Ask any Sabahan who has lived with these illegals all our lives. Remember, this is almost a 40-year-old problem. Today, their population compared to locals is 3 to 1 in their favour.
We've seen them slowly taking over our towns. Adults and children alike sell contraband not to mention the illegal hawking that cause headaches for the local authorities, police, local population and the health department.
Hey, they even make Sabah their 'war zone' by settling decades-old feuds that more often than not end up with killings. Ask the police if you doubt.
We've seen them introducing and smuggling in illegal drugs like 'syabu', bringing in firearms, a host of diseases all of which have resulted in a dramatic increase in our crime rate. Why do you think many of our homes are like ‘prisons’ installed with grills and extra padlocks?
Don't take my word for all this. I am sure the respective authorities would be more than happy to supply you with real statistics.
Why don't you rights groups visit our hospitals especially those in the east coast of Sabah? And our schools too. See for yourself how these illegals enjoy the facilities and rights that are only reserved for Malaysians.
You may also ask the health, education and defence ministries how much they've spent to provide such 'privileges' to these illegals. They run into the hundreds of millions of ringgit and that's Malaysian taxpayers’ money, if you didn't already know.
By the way, we have hundreds of so-called citizen-less children of these illegal immigrants roaming our streets either begging or harassing people to buy their plastic bags of contraband and even indulging in street gambling.
Since your rights groups are 'compassionate' towards these illegals, come on over and adopt these kids or build a home for them. Don't just talk. Walk the talk.
Did I mention that these illegals are mercenaries too? Hey, you can buy them for RM30 to RM50 per person to stage riots for you like they did in 1986. Or be used as 'phantom voters' in general elections.
So what do you great rights groups suggest we do? Give them permanent resident status like what a Sabah Umno leader suggested recently? And compromise the country's laws?
And when word of this gets around, wouldn't you think millions more would come to Sabah and once again out of compassion, we should grant them PR status?
Compassion has its limits. We Sabahans have reached our maximum limit. We have been more charitable than you rights groups can even imagine.
And look, we have been taken for granted. The illegals have overstayed their welcome. If these people want to work in Sabah, go back home and come back through the proper channels.
Otherwise, let our laws deal with them accordingly.
Source : Malaysiakini
Illegals living at expense of locals
Illegals living at expense of locals
By : Roy Goh
Squatters at Kampung Pondo in Pulau Gaya, Sabah.
KOTA KINABALU: Some wooden beams, a few zinc sheets, plywood and a few kilogrammes of nails.
That is all it takes for an illegal immigrant in Sabah to build a home on an empty plot half the size of a badminton court.
These simple box-like houses are a regular feature in most squatter colonies occupied by immigrants in the state, where the economy promises better opportunities than that of their countries of origin.
Given time and money, the house is extended, along with an increase in the number of occupants. Water and electricity are normally tapped illegally.
The utility authorities can vouch for this, based on the high percentage of non-revenue output in their accounts.
In short, these foreigners, mainly southern Filipinos and Indonesians, live at the expense of tax-paying locals.
The root of the state's illegal immigrant problem lies in the lack of political will to take action, irresponsible employers and those who offer fake documentation to them.
The latest massive exercise to flush out illegal immigrants was launched on Thursday, following a decision by a Special Federal Cabinet Committee headed by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
The main target is to detect and deport an estimated 150,000 illegal immigrants.
Forty large squatter colonies are also on the hit list of the ongoing exercise which has been dubbed Ops Bersepadu.
Kampung Pulau Gaya's village security and development committee chairman Haji Idris Dakum knows the problem only too well.
He remembers a time when there were only two villages occupied by locals on the island, which is located opposite the waterfront here, before the mid-1970s -- Kampung Pulau Gaya and Lok Malohom.
"Filipino refugees who worked as labourers started building huts and soon it began spreading, all because the authorities did not take any stern action," said the 63-year-old retired teacher.
Now there are five other villages occupied mainly by Filipinos -- Kesuapan, Pondo, Lok Baru, Pasir Putih and Lok Urai.
Idris said it would be difficult for the authorities to take action now as many of them had been granted citizenship over the years.
Boatman Rajak Yusuf, 52, echoed similar sentiments and stressed that the most effective way to deal with the illegal immigrant problem was to demolish the squatter colonies.
"If you send one back, two will return. This is because the first one will tell a friend or relative there is a house ready for them if they return."
Contraband cigarette peddler Jumayah Jumat, a Filipina, said she would rather not live in a squatter area but she didn't have a choice because her husband's employer did not provide them with accommodation at the construction site in Likas where he works.
"We bought a (squatter) house for RM3,000 in Penampang two years ago and have stayed there ever since," said the 40-year-old, who plies her trade in the Lido area about 5km from here.
"It's not easy living in a squatter area because we are always on alert in case the authorities come. We do have proper documents but we are not supposed to be here in the first place."
Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Hajiji Mohd Noor said the government was well aware of the problems in the squatter colonies:
"Cable thefts, illegal water usage and electricity connections, criminals hiding out, illegal immigrants, unhygienic conditions and many more. These are well known problems as far as squatter colonies are concerned."
That was why the government decided to launch the massive operation, including demolishing the squatter villages, he explained.
"I have issued an order for the local authorities to offer full cooperation during the exercise, which is spearheaded by security agencies such as the police and army."
Six years ago a massive operation codenamed Ops Nyah II Bersepadu was launched successfully, but it fizzled out within a year and the number of illegal immigrants began increasing again.
"This time it will be different because we have full federal support and it will run continuously," the minister claimed.
He added that RM50 million had been allocated for the purpose.
Source : New Strsit Times
By : Roy Goh
Squatters at Kampung Pondo in Pulau Gaya, Sabah.
KOTA KINABALU: Some wooden beams, a few zinc sheets, plywood and a few kilogrammes of nails.
That is all it takes for an illegal immigrant in Sabah to build a home on an empty plot half the size of a badminton court.
These simple box-like houses are a regular feature in most squatter colonies occupied by immigrants in the state, where the economy promises better opportunities than that of their countries of origin.
Given time and money, the house is extended, along with an increase in the number of occupants. Water and electricity are normally tapped illegally.
The utility authorities can vouch for this, based on the high percentage of non-revenue output in their accounts.
In short, these foreigners, mainly southern Filipinos and Indonesians, live at the expense of tax-paying locals.
The root of the state's illegal immigrant problem lies in the lack of political will to take action, irresponsible employers and those who offer fake documentation to them.
The latest massive exercise to flush out illegal immigrants was launched on Thursday, following a decision by a Special Federal Cabinet Committee headed by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
The main target is to detect and deport an estimated 150,000 illegal immigrants.
Forty large squatter colonies are also on the hit list of the ongoing exercise which has been dubbed Ops Bersepadu.
Kampung Pulau Gaya's village security and development committee chairman Haji Idris Dakum knows the problem only too well.
He remembers a time when there were only two villages occupied by locals on the island, which is located opposite the waterfront here, before the mid-1970s -- Kampung Pulau Gaya and Lok Malohom.
"Filipino refugees who worked as labourers started building huts and soon it began spreading, all because the authorities did not take any stern action," said the 63-year-old retired teacher.
Now there are five other villages occupied mainly by Filipinos -- Kesuapan, Pondo, Lok Baru, Pasir Putih and Lok Urai.
Idris said it would be difficult for the authorities to take action now as many of them had been granted citizenship over the years.
Boatman Rajak Yusuf, 52, echoed similar sentiments and stressed that the most effective way to deal with the illegal immigrant problem was to demolish the squatter colonies.
"If you send one back, two will return. This is because the first one will tell a friend or relative there is a house ready for them if they return."
Contraband cigarette peddler Jumayah Jumat, a Filipina, said she would rather not live in a squatter area but she didn't have a choice because her husband's employer did not provide them with accommodation at the construction site in Likas where he works.
"We bought a (squatter) house for RM3,000 in Penampang two years ago and have stayed there ever since," said the 40-year-old, who plies her trade in the Lido area about 5km from here.
"It's not easy living in a squatter area because we are always on alert in case the authorities come. We do have proper documents but we are not supposed to be here in the first place."
Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Hajiji Mohd Noor said the government was well aware of the problems in the squatter colonies:
"Cable thefts, illegal water usage and electricity connections, criminals hiding out, illegal immigrants, unhygienic conditions and many more. These are well known problems as far as squatter colonies are concerned."
That was why the government decided to launch the massive operation, including demolishing the squatter villages, he explained.
"I have issued an order for the local authorities to offer full cooperation during the exercise, which is spearheaded by security agencies such as the police and army."
Six years ago a massive operation codenamed Ops Nyah II Bersepadu was launched successfully, but it fizzled out within a year and the number of illegal immigrants began increasing again.
"This time it will be different because we have full federal support and it will run continuously," the minister claimed.
He added that RM50 million had been allocated for the purpose.
Source : New Strsit Times
Alleged burning of houses in forest reserve
DAILY EXPRESS NEWS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Call to probe alleged burning of houses in forest reserve
19 October, 2006
Kota Marudu: The State Government has been urged to explain alleged dirty tactics used by its enforcement agency in removing houses belonging to 20 local families and their rubber plantations in a forest reserve at Kampung Kaindaingan, Sugut early this month.
Parti Keadilan Rakyat (Keadilan) Sabah Deputy Chairman, Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan, said the people want to know whether there was a directive to torch the houses and poison the rubber plantations of the families who had been residing in the area for more than 17 years.
"I believe you all have a case," said Dr Jeffrey during a dialogue with the affected families at Marudu Inn in Goshen, near here, Wednesday.
During the dialogue attended by nearly 100 people, the villagers, mostly from here, claimed when they started to open up the land in 1988 to plant rubber trees, nobody had prevented them from doing so.
In fact, Jeffrey was told that the villagers had also obtained the Land Application (LA), apart from getting a letter from the Assistant Collector of Land Revenue (ACLR), as well as the then Sabah Rubber Fund Board, which further strengthened their belief that they had done nothing wrong.
However, early this year, the villagers said they received a notice from the Forestry Department ordering them to move out or risk prosecution.
Village head, Salipat K, told Jeffrey that on Oct 2 this year they were told that an inspection was being conducted and that they should move out from their houses and hide to avoid arrest.
"I was very surprised to find out all our houses and belongings had been burned to the ground and our rubber trees died," he said, adding they believed trees were "injected with poison".
"All these years the department's officers have been coming in and out of our place but they never said anything," they said, adding they believed the action was related to an application from a "big company for 42,000 hectares there."
At the height of the commotion, the villagers said seven people were also arrested, some convicted and currently serving jail sentences for encroaching into a forest reserve.
One of those who was remanded called for assistance from Jeffrey to stop the Forestry Department from auctioning his vehicle that he used to fetch water, among other things.
He said the vehicle was seized because it was found inside the forest reserve.
At this juncture, Jeffrey managed to contact Forestry Director Datuk Sam Mannan in Sandakan on the phone to ask about the case.
He said he was told that he (Sam) needed to investigate the matter first before making any commitment.
"He asked us to write a letter but I have asked him to postpone the auction first," said Jeffrey, adding Keadilan wants those jailed to be released as soon as possible.
Jeffrey claimed similar problems were happening all over Sabah, which he said must be addressed fairly by the Government since it involved natives who depended solely on the forest to make their living.
"Even foreigners are getting special treatment than natives in some cases of relocation from government land," he claimed.
In this respect, Jeffrey said Sabah Keadilan would be studying the case from the legal perspective.
Also on hand were former assemblymen, Dason Gaban, Bugie Galadam, Karim Adam, Edward Linggu, Sabah Keadilan Information chief, Haji Ismaily Bongsu, liaison secretary officer, Kanul Gindol and Keadilan Kota Marudu division chief, Anthony Mandiau.
Source : Daily Express
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Call to probe alleged burning of houses in forest reserve
19 October, 2006
Kota Marudu: The State Government has been urged to explain alleged dirty tactics used by its enforcement agency in removing houses belonging to 20 local families and their rubber plantations in a forest reserve at Kampung Kaindaingan, Sugut early this month.
Parti Keadilan Rakyat (Keadilan) Sabah Deputy Chairman, Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan, said the people want to know whether there was a directive to torch the houses and poison the rubber plantations of the families who had been residing in the area for more than 17 years.
"I believe you all have a case," said Dr Jeffrey during a dialogue with the affected families at Marudu Inn in Goshen, near here, Wednesday.
During the dialogue attended by nearly 100 people, the villagers, mostly from here, claimed when they started to open up the land in 1988 to plant rubber trees, nobody had prevented them from doing so.
In fact, Jeffrey was told that the villagers had also obtained the Land Application (LA), apart from getting a letter from the Assistant Collector of Land Revenue (ACLR), as well as the then Sabah Rubber Fund Board, which further strengthened their belief that they had done nothing wrong.
However, early this year, the villagers said they received a notice from the Forestry Department ordering them to move out or risk prosecution.
Village head, Salipat K, told Jeffrey that on Oct 2 this year they were told that an inspection was being conducted and that they should move out from their houses and hide to avoid arrest.
"I was very surprised to find out all our houses and belongings had been burned to the ground and our rubber trees died," he said, adding they believed trees were "injected with poison".
"All these years the department's officers have been coming in and out of our place but they never said anything," they said, adding they believed the action was related to an application from a "big company for 42,000 hectares there."
At the height of the commotion, the villagers said seven people were also arrested, some convicted and currently serving jail sentences for encroaching into a forest reserve.
One of those who was remanded called for assistance from Jeffrey to stop the Forestry Department from auctioning his vehicle that he used to fetch water, among other things.
He said the vehicle was seized because it was found inside the forest reserve.
At this juncture, Jeffrey managed to contact Forestry Director Datuk Sam Mannan in Sandakan on the phone to ask about the case.
He said he was told that he (Sam) needed to investigate the matter first before making any commitment.
"He asked us to write a letter but I have asked him to postpone the auction first," said Jeffrey, adding Keadilan wants those jailed to be released as soon as possible.
Jeffrey claimed similar problems were happening all over Sabah, which he said must be addressed fairly by the Government since it involved natives who depended solely on the forest to make their living.
"Even foreigners are getting special treatment than natives in some cases of relocation from government land," he claimed.
In this respect, Jeffrey said Sabah Keadilan would be studying the case from the legal perspective.
Also on hand were former assemblymen, Dason Gaban, Bugie Galadam, Karim Adam, Edward Linggu, Sabah Keadilan Information chief, Haji Ismaily Bongsu, liaison secretary officer, Kanul Gindol and Keadilan Kota Marudu division chief, Anthony Mandiau.
Source : Daily Express
Settlers claim their houses were burnt
DAILY EXPRESS NEWS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Settlers claim their houses were burnt
21 October, 2006
PITAS: The owners of 20 houses in a forest reserve here have claimed that their homes were razed by an enforcement team from the Sabah Forestry Department early this month after they refused to vacate the Government land that they were occupying.
The department was believed to have issued notices to the residents of Kampung Kaiboton 1, in Jalan Tangkarason, to vacate the land last year but they had refused to budge.
One of the residents, Ping Sun, 49, claimed that burning their houses was an inhumane, cruel and uncivilised act.
"Even refugees are not treated this way and are relocated to comfortable settlements. We are already living in hardship and poverty and yet our houses are burnt," he said.
Ping said some of the 30 families in the village had opened up the land since early 1988 while the others moved there in 1992.
"We plant rubber and fruit trees and now they are bearing fruit. Although we know that the area is part of the Paitan forest reserve, we have to work the land illegally because there's no land for farming," he said.
Another resident, Jaipin Mohigal, 56, said in the incident which occurred at 1pm on Oct 3, he had no time to salvage his property including an antique gong worth RM60,000, 20 sacks of padi, household goods, clothes and important documents.
Yet another resident, known only as Salipat, said his 7ha of rubber trees were destroyed and he hoped the Government would do something to help the residents who are in dire straits. Forestry Department Director, Datuk Sam Mannan, when contacted, refused to comment.- Bernama
Source : Daily Express
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Settlers claim their houses were burnt
21 October, 2006
PITAS: The owners of 20 houses in a forest reserve here have claimed that their homes were razed by an enforcement team from the Sabah Forestry Department early this month after they refused to vacate the Government land that they were occupying.
The department was believed to have issued notices to the residents of Kampung Kaiboton 1, in Jalan Tangkarason, to vacate the land last year but they had refused to budge.
One of the residents, Ping Sun, 49, claimed that burning their houses was an inhumane, cruel and uncivilised act.
"Even refugees are not treated this way and are relocated to comfortable settlements. We are already living in hardship and poverty and yet our houses are burnt," he said.
Ping said some of the 30 families in the village had opened up the land since early 1988 while the others moved there in 1992.
"We plant rubber and fruit trees and now they are bearing fruit. Although we know that the area is part of the Paitan forest reserve, we have to work the land illegally because there's no land for farming," he said.
Another resident, Jaipin Mohigal, 56, said in the incident which occurred at 1pm on Oct 3, he had no time to salvage his property including an antique gong worth RM60,000, 20 sacks of padi, household goods, clothes and important documents.
Yet another resident, known only as Salipat, said his 7ha of rubber trees were destroyed and he hoped the Government would do something to help the residents who are in dire straits. Forestry Department Director, Datuk Sam Mannan, when contacted, refused to comment.- Bernama
Source : Daily Express
Ordeal of a foreign spouse
Ordeal of a foreign spouse
Posted by Super Admin
Monday, 04 August 2008 09:45
ALIRAN
This is not Ripley's Believe it or Not, but it is faster to get an employment pass for a domestic helper than for a foreign spouse. The same goes for visa extensions, a process which can stretch from hours to days, laments Aavaz.
For 16 years I've fought this fight; for 16 years, the Immigration Department has been my second home.
Seriously I have exhausted all means, perhaps you can give me some fresh ideas on how change can be sought.
I have sent this letter to almost all women NGOs (they are grossly understaffed and tend to handle urgent cases), Bar Council (no response), MPs (several questions asked in Parliament - mumbo jumbo replies were given). Mr Lim Kit Siang was initiating some sort of debate; however, that day I think the opposition walked out.
The Home Minister about two months ago said that the matter would be looked into - when, I wonder? So now thats what we foreign spouses of Malaysian are: an ignored segment of Malaysian society.
Ordeal of a foreign spouse – the reality of life in Malaysia: My story
Several letters have been published in the press, but we're a forgotten segment of Malaysian society. I am a foreign spouse of a Malaysian Citizen and 16 years down the line, I feel that I am accorded worse treatment than an illegal. At least illegals after a while, do get amnesty, but not spouses.
There are many of us here for 12-20 years, still on a dependent pass or an employment pass, still waiting for years and even decades not for citizenship, but for mere Permanent Resident status.
Foreign spouses find life in Malaysia really difficult because the law, if any, is so grey that it varies in interpretation from immigration officer to officer.
Many of us even have to resort to merely doing volunteer service, though it is a necessity to be an income earner. Some of us lucky ones manage to get an employment pass on the spouse visa; however, not many employers are prepared to employ a foreign spouse due to the tedious paperwork. Yes, of course only employers with a paid up capital of over RM200K can employ us. Many even exploit us and pay some measly sum as token salary. When we wish to change jobs, there is a cooling off period between employers to cool our heels for six months.
Life in Malaysia is near traumatic for us and here's more.
This is not Ripley's Believe it or Not, but it is faster to get an employment pass for a domestic maid than for a foreign spouse. The same goes for extensions of the visa, long waits that stretch from hours to days; yes, we are the spouses of Malaysian Citizens.
By the way, it may be that it is also easier and less procedural for expatriates to get an employment pass than spouses of Malaysian citizens.
We have to pay double charges in Government hospitals even when we are delivering Malaysian citizens. We have to pay fees of foreigners to study in public Universities. Even for a visit to KLCC Aquarium, we pay tourist rates while the rest of our family pay differently - even though we are more Malaysian than most Malaysians!!
We have to carry our passports wherever we go; however students, workers, and, if I am not mistaken, even domestic maids get an ID card. A housewife cannot even open an account in some of the banks; we cannot deposit money through the ATM because our bank account is called an external account – such is the treatment for spouses of Malaysian Citizens.
Oh wait, we forgot to mention the yearly visits to the Immigration – in fact it is a joke of sorts amongst spouses, that the "Immigration Department is our Second Home!!"Long waits, irrespective of infants in our hands; some have to travel from various states to Putrajaya just to get a spouse visa.
By the way, we have to be accompanied by our spouses to the Immigration department when the submission is being done, this process can take up to 6-7 hours; more often for submission and approval it takes several visits, never mind that the spouse has just given a declaration that we are still married in front of the Commissioner of Oaths.
Why is this section of people so neglected? We take care of our Malaysian families, the future Malaysian generation, yet we are a forgotten segment of Malaysian society.
Husbands of Malaysian women have it even worse; so also we understand that Chinese spouses are not even allowed to apply for PR status. Many Malaysian with foreign spouses have left the country in sheer frustration. Many of us are highly educated and are professionals, and we cannot even get jobs here; so why would we undergo so much hardship for so many years? Only for our families. Stop treating us like criminals.
The Home Minister is the only approving authority for PR, and only few approvals are given per month. Is this a fair deal where there are a few thousand still waiting; something is very wrong in the system then. We also know that priority is given for those applying for the more lucrative "Malaysia my Second Home." So now it boils down to the fact that "only money talks" If in Sabah and Sarawak foreigners have easily been given ICs, why can't this be done for foreign spouses?
In this global environment, where travel is so much easier and national boundaries are getting more seamless, the Home Ministry and Immigration should look into its policies and engage itself with more modern policies and practises that reflect good governance. It is only appropriate that spouses of Malaysians should be given fair status and have rational rules and regulations.
The writer has not touched on what happens in cases where there is separation or divorce involved... Do the children have to relocate to the non-Malaysian parent's home country because the parent's visa in Malaysia will not get extended?
What needs immediate attention is the immigration law itself for spouses of citizens. Today in countries such as UK, USA, Australia and nearer home in Singapore, no more than two years of living together is required to secure PR status - marriage is not even a necessity in these countries.
Whilst I do appreciate my application to be speeded up, I am seeking a review and reform of the law, its governance both at Federal and State level, and that of policy and procedures within the various immigration departments particularly for foreign spouses.
This will also be beneficial to the nation as many spouses are highly qualified and are seeking the employment market. Some have even indicated that they are willing to return should it be easier to gain employment.
This is not a work of fiction but the reality of life faced by Spouses of Malaysian Citizens.
The above was a comment left on Aliran member Charles Hector's blog in response to an entry 'Foreign spouses should get PR status on registration of marriage'
Sourse : Malaysia Today
Posted by Super Admin
Monday, 04 August 2008 09:45
ALIRAN
This is not Ripley's Believe it or Not, but it is faster to get an employment pass for a domestic helper than for a foreign spouse. The same goes for visa extensions, a process which can stretch from hours to days, laments Aavaz.
For 16 years I've fought this fight; for 16 years, the Immigration Department has been my second home.
Seriously I have exhausted all means, perhaps you can give me some fresh ideas on how change can be sought.
I have sent this letter to almost all women NGOs (they are grossly understaffed and tend to handle urgent cases), Bar Council (no response), MPs (several questions asked in Parliament - mumbo jumbo replies were given). Mr Lim Kit Siang was initiating some sort of debate; however, that day I think the opposition walked out.
The Home Minister about two months ago said that the matter would be looked into - when, I wonder? So now thats what we foreign spouses of Malaysian are: an ignored segment of Malaysian society.
Ordeal of a foreign spouse – the reality of life in Malaysia: My story
Several letters have been published in the press, but we're a forgotten segment of Malaysian society. I am a foreign spouse of a Malaysian Citizen and 16 years down the line, I feel that I am accorded worse treatment than an illegal. At least illegals after a while, do get amnesty, but not spouses.
There are many of us here for 12-20 years, still on a dependent pass or an employment pass, still waiting for years and even decades not for citizenship, but for mere Permanent Resident status.
Foreign spouses find life in Malaysia really difficult because the law, if any, is so grey that it varies in interpretation from immigration officer to officer.
Many of us even have to resort to merely doing volunteer service, though it is a necessity to be an income earner. Some of us lucky ones manage to get an employment pass on the spouse visa; however, not many employers are prepared to employ a foreign spouse due to the tedious paperwork. Yes, of course only employers with a paid up capital of over RM200K can employ us. Many even exploit us and pay some measly sum as token salary. When we wish to change jobs, there is a cooling off period between employers to cool our heels for six months.
Life in Malaysia is near traumatic for us and here's more.
This is not Ripley's Believe it or Not, but it is faster to get an employment pass for a domestic maid than for a foreign spouse. The same goes for extensions of the visa, long waits that stretch from hours to days; yes, we are the spouses of Malaysian Citizens.
By the way, it may be that it is also easier and less procedural for expatriates to get an employment pass than spouses of Malaysian citizens.
We have to pay double charges in Government hospitals even when we are delivering Malaysian citizens. We have to pay fees of foreigners to study in public Universities. Even for a visit to KLCC Aquarium, we pay tourist rates while the rest of our family pay differently - even though we are more Malaysian than most Malaysians!!
We have to carry our passports wherever we go; however students, workers, and, if I am not mistaken, even domestic maids get an ID card. A housewife cannot even open an account in some of the banks; we cannot deposit money through the ATM because our bank account is called an external account – such is the treatment for spouses of Malaysian Citizens.
Oh wait, we forgot to mention the yearly visits to the Immigration – in fact it is a joke of sorts amongst spouses, that the "Immigration Department is our Second Home!!"Long waits, irrespective of infants in our hands; some have to travel from various states to Putrajaya just to get a spouse visa.
By the way, we have to be accompanied by our spouses to the Immigration department when the submission is being done, this process can take up to 6-7 hours; more often for submission and approval it takes several visits, never mind that the spouse has just given a declaration that we are still married in front of the Commissioner of Oaths.
Why is this section of people so neglected? We take care of our Malaysian families, the future Malaysian generation, yet we are a forgotten segment of Malaysian society.
Husbands of Malaysian women have it even worse; so also we understand that Chinese spouses are not even allowed to apply for PR status. Many Malaysian with foreign spouses have left the country in sheer frustration. Many of us are highly educated and are professionals, and we cannot even get jobs here; so why would we undergo so much hardship for so many years? Only for our families. Stop treating us like criminals.
The Home Minister is the only approving authority for PR, and only few approvals are given per month. Is this a fair deal where there are a few thousand still waiting; something is very wrong in the system then. We also know that priority is given for those applying for the more lucrative "Malaysia my Second Home." So now it boils down to the fact that "only money talks" If in Sabah and Sarawak foreigners have easily been given ICs, why can't this be done for foreign spouses?
In this global environment, where travel is so much easier and national boundaries are getting more seamless, the Home Ministry and Immigration should look into its policies and engage itself with more modern policies and practises that reflect good governance. It is only appropriate that spouses of Malaysians should be given fair status and have rational rules and regulations.
The writer has not touched on what happens in cases where there is separation or divorce involved... Do the children have to relocate to the non-Malaysian parent's home country because the parent's visa in Malaysia will not get extended?
What needs immediate attention is the immigration law itself for spouses of citizens. Today in countries such as UK, USA, Australia and nearer home in Singapore, no more than two years of living together is required to secure PR status - marriage is not even a necessity in these countries.
Whilst I do appreciate my application to be speeded up, I am seeking a review and reform of the law, its governance both at Federal and State level, and that of policy and procedures within the various immigration departments particularly for foreign spouses.
This will also be beneficial to the nation as many spouses are highly qualified and are seeking the employment market. Some have even indicated that they are willing to return should it be easier to gain employment.
This is not a work of fiction but the reality of life faced by Spouses of Malaysian Citizens.
The above was a comment left on Aliran member Charles Hector's blog in response to an entry 'Foreign spouses should get PR status on registration of marriage'
Sourse : Malaysia Today
Mutalib: Project IC An "X-File"
Mutalib: Project IC An "X-File"
Posted by Erin
Tuesday, 29 July 2008 18:10
Mutalib Mohd Daud, who has conducted indepth studies on the obtaining of Malaysian ICs by foreigners in Sabah, felt that Project IC is itself like an "X-File." If the government wants to solve the issue of illegal migrants in Sabah, it needs to do it like operating a controller. Of course, if it presses the "+" key, then the alien population will move up and up.
As a result, whether the issue would eventually be resoved depends very much on "political will." However, he said pessimistically that so far he has not seen any resolution on the part of the government to seriously address this issue.
He said, although during the 1990s, there were 42 people arrested for their involvement in the issuance of Malaysian ICs to illegal migrants under the Project IC, the number of illegal migrants obtaining Malaysian ICs is still on the rise today.
Since he devoted himself to the studies of foreigners obtaining Malaysian ICs in 1997, Mutalib has published books on this issue, including Counterfeit ICs: The Rape of Sabahans' Rights (1999), Voters for Rent, Project IC: Mahathir's Agenda Behind (2006), and his latest 2007 book 007-The Last Malaysian.
There have been people lodging police reports based on Mutalib's revelations, including someone making a police report with his latest book 007-The Last Malaysian. However, no further investigations have been carried out.
He once testified in the Likas election lawsuit, and attended the hearing of the parliamentary committee on clean election headed by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Tan Sri Bernard Dompok and offered all the truths on the issue of illegal migrants in Sabah. Nevertheless, Bernard Dompok subsequently quit the chairman post in frustration after the directors general of National Registration Department and Immigration Department refused to attend the hearing.
Mutalib said, from the studies he had conducted, there have been 322,903 foreigners obtaining Malaysian ICs through illegal means, and at least 100,000 of them have registered as voters. If each of them has five children, and their children will automatically be granted citizenship, then the consequences will be way beyond imagination.
He felt that the situation now in Sabah is basically out of control, as illegal migrants have infiltrated into and controlled many economic sectors in the state.
Many people say the issues of illegal migrants and stateless children are like a time bomb. Mutalib said, in fact the time bomb has already exploded. Sabahans have already been drowned in the sea of illegal migrants.
The sad thing is, Mutalib said, Sabah is still producing new citizens in a rapid rate. With photographs and thumbprints, the "+" key on the controller in the X-File will still be activated.
Source : Malaysia Today
Posted by Erin
Tuesday, 29 July 2008 18:10
Mutalib Mohd Daud, who has conducted indepth studies on the obtaining of Malaysian ICs by foreigners in Sabah, felt that Project IC is itself like an "X-File." If the government wants to solve the issue of illegal migrants in Sabah, it needs to do it like operating a controller. Of course, if it presses the "+" key, then the alien population will move up and up.
As a result, whether the issue would eventually be resoved depends very much on "political will." However, he said pessimistically that so far he has not seen any resolution on the part of the government to seriously address this issue.
He said, although during the 1990s, there were 42 people arrested for their involvement in the issuance of Malaysian ICs to illegal migrants under the Project IC, the number of illegal migrants obtaining Malaysian ICs is still on the rise today.
Since he devoted himself to the studies of foreigners obtaining Malaysian ICs in 1997, Mutalib has published books on this issue, including Counterfeit ICs: The Rape of Sabahans' Rights (1999), Voters for Rent, Project IC: Mahathir's Agenda Behind (2006), and his latest 2007 book 007-The Last Malaysian.
There have been people lodging police reports based on Mutalib's revelations, including someone making a police report with his latest book 007-The Last Malaysian. However, no further investigations have been carried out.
He once testified in the Likas election lawsuit, and attended the hearing of the parliamentary committee on clean election headed by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Tan Sri Bernard Dompok and offered all the truths on the issue of illegal migrants in Sabah. Nevertheless, Bernard Dompok subsequently quit the chairman post in frustration after the directors general of National Registration Department and Immigration Department refused to attend the hearing.
Mutalib said, from the studies he had conducted, there have been 322,903 foreigners obtaining Malaysian ICs through illegal means, and at least 100,000 of them have registered as voters. If each of them has five children, and their children will automatically be granted citizenship, then the consequences will be way beyond imagination.
He felt that the situation now in Sabah is basically out of control, as illegal migrants have infiltrated into and controlled many economic sectors in the state.
Many people say the issues of illegal migrants and stateless children are like a time bomb. Mutalib said, in fact the time bomb has already exploded. Sabahans have already been drowned in the sea of illegal migrants.
The sad thing is, Mutalib said, Sabah is still producing new citizens in a rapid rate. With photographs and thumbprints, the "+" key on the controller in the X-File will still be activated.
Source : Malaysia Today
Sabah has recorded an "extra ordinary" increase in its population
Suhakam queries population explosion
24 December, 2005
Kota Kinabalu: Sabah has recorded an "extra ordinary" increase in its population over the last 35 years and it could be due to the illegal entry of foreigners into the State.
In disclosing this, the member of Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) Prof Datuk Mohd Hamdan Adnan said the latest statistics showed that the population in Sabah had increased more than four folds from about 697,900 in 1970 to almost three million in 2004.
In comparison, neighbouring Sarawak's total population grew from around one million to 2.3 million over the same period, he said.
"This is quite puzzling and of course, the citizens of Malaysia, especially the people of Sabah, have the right to know the contributing factors of this extra ordinary increase," he said, Friday.
"Our borders (Sabah) are porous and they (illegal immigrants) can easily sneak in even after they had been sent back to their home countries.
"Based on feedback, some of the detainees at the temporary detention centres in Sabah, once they are sent back, they try to come back to the State under different names," he said.
On delayed deportations of detainees at the temporary detention centres particularly in Sandakan and Tawau, Hamdan said the problem cropped up because some of the detainees did not possess proper travel documents.
As such, he suggested "the country which had a large number of detainees" to set up an office in Sabah to facilitate the issuance of valid travel document.
He said more than 50 per cent of the detainees in temporary detention centres throughout the State were Filipinos.
Meanwhile, Suhakam has asked the Federal Government to solve the overcrowding at the prisons in Sandakan and Tawau.
Meanwhile the Consumer Association of Sabah (Cash) proposed the setting up of an Independent Commission to investigate Sabah's "big" population.
Its President Datuk Patrick Sindu said if the claims are true, the Commission must find out how so many of the foreigners could own the Mykad.
"The source of the problem should be identified and solved as we don't want this State to end up like Palestine where at the end of the day its citizens had to squat on their own land," he said.
He said the issue was nothing new and had been brought up before during the 1985 State elections. - Bernama
Source : Daily Express
Friday, December 5, 2008
Kota Marudu needs more than wireless Internet
Kota Marudu needs more than wireless Internet
Dr Hams | Sep 5, 08 4:35pm
Having worked in Kota Marudu as a government medical officer has shown me how lucky I am. I am lucky to be educated. I am lucky that I have access to information. I am lucky to have a stable job that pays. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same about many of the poor people who live in the remote areas of Kota Marudu.
I’ll give an example of a housewife, whom we shall refer to as Mrs P, who came to me at 38 weeks of her sixth pregnancy. She is from Paitan, a remote district in Sabah.
Kota Marudu is the nearest township that could provide obstetric assessment for her pregnancy. At the 38th week of pregnancy, that was the first time that she could afford to seek medical attention. Mothers should be seen in the first trimester of pregnancy. Mrs P was in the final trimester of her pregnancy.
Mrs P was at full term and she had never been seen by a doctor. She had three living children. Two died full term at birth. Mrs P delivered all her children, she delivered the placenta and she even cut the umbilical cords.
All on her own. The nearest midwife (non-medically trained) requires a thirty minute walk from her home. There are no medically trained midwives near her area of residence.
Mrs P's husband works at a small farm, earning RM50 a month while some of us have RM50 lunches. RM 50 for a family of five when many of us can afford to don RM250 shirts. In Kota Marudu and many districts in Sabah, transportation is a serious and material obstacle, preventing the people from gaining medical access.
It is not made any easier for these people when the local private transportation 'service' charge these financially poor people exorbitant fees for a ride to the nearest township (where a medical facility should be present). Mrs P came all the way from Paitan with the whole family, having to pay RM50 for each member of the family.
She is not the independent city woman who can drive herself to the nearest clinic. She is not the independent bourgeois who can travel in unfamiliar territory without her husband. She is the lady from the village who does not how to read or write. She is the lady who totally depends on her husband. Her husband who earns RM50 a month.
Mrs P and her family are a part of the many residents of Kota Marudu who are subjected to such paucity. The people's predicament does not stop at exorbitant travel fees. We have not even discussed the problems faced with road access. We have villages in Kota Marudu with roads that cannot be accessed during rainy seasons.
Transportation is extremely important in assisting this country's medical services. When sick people cannot travel due to distance, inaccessible roads or lack of financial funds for them to travel, this would delay their access to medical services.
This would in turn cause them to continue to deteriorate in their sickness in the village and by the time they reach the nearest hospital, there is nothing much that the doctors can do. This is very true for patients from the district of Kota Marudu.
If we are able to manage the problem at it's roots (and since the government continuously reminds the people the need for austerity, in the health sector included) the country will be able to cut medical costs in so many ways.
An example is antibiotic usage. The more critically ill the patient is, the more likely that the patient will need stronger antibiotics which is obviously more expensive. The more critically ill the patients are, the more likely that they will need intensive care support, which may include mechanical ventilation.
The education of the people of Kota Marudu would make them more aware of their need for medical services. There is no doubt that the wireless Internet service in Kota Marudu would benefit the students, teachers, lawyers and government staff who live in the town of Kota Marudu.
But it appears that our system, be it health, education or transportation, tend to target and benefit the people who already have access to modern facilities. Why can't we develop the society as a whole? What are we doing for the people of Kota Marudu who do not live in the town and other people of this country who live in remote areas?
We have 16-year-old school drop-outs who are mothers of two and pregnant with their third child. We have a real problem of illiteracy in Kota Marudu. Do you blame these people for being ignorant of their rights as citizens of this country when they don't even have access to education?
Knowledge is power, and I believe the people of Malaysia have begun to realise this. Are we, those who are more fortunate and educated, going to remain ignorant about the existence of these people?
It has been 45 years since the formation of Malaysia and the fundamental rights of the citizens have not been addressed properly. It is embarrassing and a failure of this country to have these conditions exist.
We should stop trying to break records by baking the biggest curry puff and whatnot. We should stop people from constructing the national flag from dried chillies and sago and then complain about food shortage.
We should stop sending people on travels to infinity and beyond when the people of Kota Marudu, the people here on earth are dying of tuberculosis, malaria and other diseases. We talk about wireless Internet service, but, there are far more important issues to deal with. Our first world facilities do not compensate for the suffering of the people.
Source : Malaysia Kini
Dr Hams | Sep 5, 08 4:35pm
Having worked in Kota Marudu as a government medical officer has shown me how lucky I am. I am lucky to be educated. I am lucky that I have access to information. I am lucky to have a stable job that pays. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same about many of the poor people who live in the remote areas of Kota Marudu.
I’ll give an example of a housewife, whom we shall refer to as Mrs P, who came to me at 38 weeks of her sixth pregnancy. She is from Paitan, a remote district in Sabah.
Kota Marudu is the nearest township that could provide obstetric assessment for her pregnancy. At the 38th week of pregnancy, that was the first time that she could afford to seek medical attention. Mothers should be seen in the first trimester of pregnancy. Mrs P was in the final trimester of her pregnancy.
Mrs P was at full term and she had never been seen by a doctor. She had three living children. Two died full term at birth. Mrs P delivered all her children, she delivered the placenta and she even cut the umbilical cords.
All on her own. The nearest midwife (non-medically trained) requires a thirty minute walk from her home. There are no medically trained midwives near her area of residence.
Mrs P's husband works at a small farm, earning RM50 a month while some of us have RM50 lunches. RM 50 for a family of five when many of us can afford to don RM250 shirts. In Kota Marudu and many districts in Sabah, transportation is a serious and material obstacle, preventing the people from gaining medical access.
It is not made any easier for these people when the local private transportation 'service' charge these financially poor people exorbitant fees for a ride to the nearest township (where a medical facility should be present). Mrs P came all the way from Paitan with the whole family, having to pay RM50 for each member of the family.
She is not the independent city woman who can drive herself to the nearest clinic. She is not the independent bourgeois who can travel in unfamiliar territory without her husband. She is the lady from the village who does not how to read or write. She is the lady who totally depends on her husband. Her husband who earns RM50 a month.
Mrs P and her family are a part of the many residents of Kota Marudu who are subjected to such paucity. The people's predicament does not stop at exorbitant travel fees. We have not even discussed the problems faced with road access. We have villages in Kota Marudu with roads that cannot be accessed during rainy seasons.
Transportation is extremely important in assisting this country's medical services. When sick people cannot travel due to distance, inaccessible roads or lack of financial funds for them to travel, this would delay their access to medical services.
This would in turn cause them to continue to deteriorate in their sickness in the village and by the time they reach the nearest hospital, there is nothing much that the doctors can do. This is very true for patients from the district of Kota Marudu.
If we are able to manage the problem at it's roots (and since the government continuously reminds the people the need for austerity, in the health sector included) the country will be able to cut medical costs in so many ways.
An example is antibiotic usage. The more critically ill the patient is, the more likely that the patient will need stronger antibiotics which is obviously more expensive. The more critically ill the patients are, the more likely that they will need intensive care support, which may include mechanical ventilation.
The education of the people of Kota Marudu would make them more aware of their need for medical services. There is no doubt that the wireless Internet service in Kota Marudu would benefit the students, teachers, lawyers and government staff who live in the town of Kota Marudu.
But it appears that our system, be it health, education or transportation, tend to target and benefit the people who already have access to modern facilities. Why can't we develop the society as a whole? What are we doing for the people of Kota Marudu who do not live in the town and other people of this country who live in remote areas?
We have 16-year-old school drop-outs who are mothers of two and pregnant with their third child. We have a real problem of illiteracy in Kota Marudu. Do you blame these people for being ignorant of their rights as citizens of this country when they don't even have access to education?
Knowledge is power, and I believe the people of Malaysia have begun to realise this. Are we, those who are more fortunate and educated, going to remain ignorant about the existence of these people?
It has been 45 years since the formation of Malaysia and the fundamental rights of the citizens have not been addressed properly. It is embarrassing and a failure of this country to have these conditions exist.
We should stop trying to break records by baking the biggest curry puff and whatnot. We should stop people from constructing the national flag from dried chillies and sago and then complain about food shortage.
We should stop sending people on travels to infinity and beyond when the people of Kota Marudu, the people here on earth are dying of tuberculosis, malaria and other diseases. We talk about wireless Internet service, but, there are far more important issues to deal with. Our first world facilities do not compensate for the suffering of the people.
Source : Malaysia Kini
The story of Donny John Dion.
The story of Donny John Dion.
DAILY EXPRESS NEWS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
11-year-old pupil found hanged
28 March, 2007
Papar: A broken home and life in poverty proved too much to bear for an 11-year-old boy here last week. He hanged himself.
District Police Chief, DSP Charles Labung Lawai, said Donny John Dion, a SK Kinarut pupil, was found hanged, by his mother from the ceiling of their Kg Suangon home in Kinarut on March 20.
He said from what police gathered, the boy, who had five siblings, had previously attempted suicide but failed. "We believe he was disillusioned with the poverty gripping his family and his father is presently in prison for a drug offence," he pointed out.
He said the 37-year-old mother was away at a neighbour's house when the boy, who was alone at home, hanged himself.
Charles said she (mother) found the body after returning about 2pm and immediately rushed her son to a clinic in Kinarut but by then the boy had already died. He said the police did not find any sign to suggest foul play, adding a post-mortem was conducted at the district hospital.
Source : Daily Express
DAILY EXPRESS NEWS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
11-year-old pupil found hanged
28 March, 2007
Papar: A broken home and life in poverty proved too much to bear for an 11-year-old boy here last week. He hanged himself.
District Police Chief, DSP Charles Labung Lawai, said Donny John Dion, a SK Kinarut pupil, was found hanged, by his mother from the ceiling of their Kg Suangon home in Kinarut on March 20.
He said from what police gathered, the boy, who had five siblings, had previously attempted suicide but failed. "We believe he was disillusioned with the poverty gripping his family and his father is presently in prison for a drug offence," he pointed out.
He said the 37-year-old mother was away at a neighbour's house when the boy, who was alone at home, hanged himself.
Charles said she (mother) found the body after returning about 2pm and immediately rushed her son to a clinic in Kinarut but by then the boy had already died. He said the police did not find any sign to suggest foul play, adding a post-mortem was conducted at the district hospital.
Source : Daily Express
Don't neglect Sabah, please
Don't neglect Sabah, please
Another Doctor | Sep 8, 08 5:11pm
I refer to the Malaysiakini article Kota Marudu needs more than wireless Internet
I read Dr Hams letter and cannot help but agree with many of his observations. I worked in Sabah for over seven years as a house officer and medical officer. After my housemanship, I was sent to Ranau to serve in the district hospital. What Dr Hams described in Kota Marudu is not something isolated to that district alone in Sabah. It is an often repeated story in the whole of Sabah.
My first introduction to the poverty in Sabah came during my first months there, when a sweet 70- year-old lady from Kota Marudu was sent to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital with deep jaundice. She lived alone in a small village off Kota Marudu and noticed the jaundice about a month before.
She had no money for the taxi fare and so waited a month to sell off her chickens to have enough money to pay RM50 for the transport to Kota Marudu Hospital. She had to walk two miles to get to the road to get to the taxi.
Having been born, bred and educated in Peninsular Malaysia, I was shocked. When she arrived, she was septic and had a gallstone lodged in her common bile duct. The stone was duly removed but she was found to have a heart problem that required a pacemaker. We arranged for her to get a permanent pacemaker but she refused.
When I pressed her for her reason, she told me that she couldn't afford to buy batteries for the pacemaker, having sold off her chickens. Once I explained to her that the batteries would last for years and we would provide them, she agreed to the pacemaker.
Ranau town itself has roads and is on the main highway between Sandakan and Kota Kinabalu. It developed primarily as a result of the Mamut Copper Mines in the district. However, highway in this context means a two lane road with frequent landslides and potholes, with a two-hour drive to Kota Kinabalu.
Outside Ranau, transportation becomes a problem as tarred roads disappear to become gravel or crudely marked logging trails. Anyone who has worked in Sabah would have the same stories to tell, of extreme poverty and poor transportation.
During my 2 years in Ranau, I've heard and seen it all, patients with cerebral malaria, a condition unheard of in Peninsular Malaysia, coming in after 48 hours to the hospital from places like Kaingaran and Karagasan, with relatives having to push the ‘pirate taxi’ through the mud, spending RM50 on fare during the monsoon season, the equivalent of 2 months income, this too when petrol was only around RM1.20 a litre in Ranau.
Patients having to delay treatment for life threatening conditions because a bridge washed away along the trail (I won't even call it a road) to Tambunan. Emergency surgery such as caesarian sections, appendectomies and even ectopic pregnancies had to be performed in our little district hospitals by Medical Officers with little more than 4 months housemanship experience.
Medical emergencies such as myocardial infarctions, which in Peninsular Malaysia would be managed in a Coronary Care Unit setting, had to be managed in the district hospital level. I'm grateful however, that my staff in that hospital were the best I've ever had the pleasure of working with and were dedicated enough to want to make a difference in their patients’ lives.
But poor transportation does not only affect the access to healthcare. Having no roads to be able to transport their agricultural produce for sale means that these people are stuck in a never ending cycle of poverty.
At most, some of them get RM20 to RM50 by selling their produce to middlemen to be sold at the monthly tamu or market at prices that are perhaps only 10 percent of the value of the goods. These innocent people are also preyed upon by traveling cloth merchants, mostly foreigners, who offer them ‘easy payment schemes’ to buy cloth for clothes, and when they cannot pay for the cloth and the interest accumulates, they end up having to marry their daughters to these men, who often have wives back home in Pakistan.
One of the cases I could never forget was of the family who came to Ranau Hospital just as I was leaving, a family who had failed crops, were hungry and unable to get food. The father collected some toad eggs and fed them to the whole family in a desperate attempt to stave off hunger. When they arrived at our little emergency room, one of the children were dead and two passed away within 10 minutes of arrival in our casualty unit due to poisoning.
Education is a problem in parts of Sabah outside major towns like Kota Kinabalu at the moment. Many children would be lucky to be able to get to a school or even afford to get to one. Most of my patients outside Ranau were lucky to even have a primary school education and a vast number of women marry in their teens.
I've had 14 year olds delivering babies in Ranau, most of them have never ever stepped foot in a school. The education level is so poor that many women feed their children condensed milk thinking that it's better than breast milk.
But at the heart of it all, these mothers want the best for their children but are not empowered with the knowledge to help them. Major towns in Sabah have electricity courtesy of the Sabah Electricity Board, but smaller villages have either diesel generators or rely on candles or lamps when night falls.
How can children study in these conditions? Like many doctors in the districts, I had to learn Dusun to communicate better with these patients who could speak little else.
Forty five years after the formation of Malaysia, the promise of a better life for these poor Dusun, Murut and Rungus patients in the districts of Sabah is a pipe dream at best. How can our politicians claim to have brought development to the state and have neglected these poor people, many of whom still wear the cheap t-shirts and caps given free by political parties from many elections ago.
How can I claim to be proud of Putrajaya with it's beautiful bridges and lamp posts and the Petronas twin Towers when our fellow Malaysians in Sabah are so neglected?The cycle of poverty and illiteracy one sees in the districts in Sabah brings despair to the heart. Eradication of poverty must tackle the real issues of education and transport and not just handouts to poor people.
By all means, declare Sept 16th a public holiday, but remember it in it's real context, where we made a promise to our brethren in Sabah and Sarawak to treat them as equals in Malaysia, and give them the development they've been long denied.
Source : Letter to The Editor Malaysiakini
Another Doctor | Sep 8, 08 5:11pm
I refer to the Malaysiakini article Kota Marudu needs more than wireless Internet
I read Dr Hams letter and cannot help but agree with many of his observations. I worked in Sabah for over seven years as a house officer and medical officer. After my housemanship, I was sent to Ranau to serve in the district hospital. What Dr Hams described in Kota Marudu is not something isolated to that district alone in Sabah. It is an often repeated story in the whole of Sabah.
My first introduction to the poverty in Sabah came during my first months there, when a sweet 70- year-old lady from Kota Marudu was sent to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital with deep jaundice. She lived alone in a small village off Kota Marudu and noticed the jaundice about a month before.
She had no money for the taxi fare and so waited a month to sell off her chickens to have enough money to pay RM50 for the transport to Kota Marudu Hospital. She had to walk two miles to get to the road to get to the taxi.
Having been born, bred and educated in Peninsular Malaysia, I was shocked. When she arrived, she was septic and had a gallstone lodged in her common bile duct. The stone was duly removed but she was found to have a heart problem that required a pacemaker. We arranged for her to get a permanent pacemaker but she refused.
When I pressed her for her reason, she told me that she couldn't afford to buy batteries for the pacemaker, having sold off her chickens. Once I explained to her that the batteries would last for years and we would provide them, she agreed to the pacemaker.
Ranau town itself has roads and is on the main highway between Sandakan and Kota Kinabalu. It developed primarily as a result of the Mamut Copper Mines in the district. However, highway in this context means a two lane road with frequent landslides and potholes, with a two-hour drive to Kota Kinabalu.
Outside Ranau, transportation becomes a problem as tarred roads disappear to become gravel or crudely marked logging trails. Anyone who has worked in Sabah would have the same stories to tell, of extreme poverty and poor transportation.
During my 2 years in Ranau, I've heard and seen it all, patients with cerebral malaria, a condition unheard of in Peninsular Malaysia, coming in after 48 hours to the hospital from places like Kaingaran and Karagasan, with relatives having to push the ‘pirate taxi’ through the mud, spending RM50 on fare during the monsoon season, the equivalent of 2 months income, this too when petrol was only around RM1.20 a litre in Ranau.
Patients having to delay treatment for life threatening conditions because a bridge washed away along the trail (I won't even call it a road) to Tambunan. Emergency surgery such as caesarian sections, appendectomies and even ectopic pregnancies had to be performed in our little district hospitals by Medical Officers with little more than 4 months housemanship experience.
Medical emergencies such as myocardial infarctions, which in Peninsular Malaysia would be managed in a Coronary Care Unit setting, had to be managed in the district hospital level. I'm grateful however, that my staff in that hospital were the best I've ever had the pleasure of working with and were dedicated enough to want to make a difference in their patients’ lives.
But poor transportation does not only affect the access to healthcare. Having no roads to be able to transport their agricultural produce for sale means that these people are stuck in a never ending cycle of poverty.
At most, some of them get RM20 to RM50 by selling their produce to middlemen to be sold at the monthly tamu or market at prices that are perhaps only 10 percent of the value of the goods. These innocent people are also preyed upon by traveling cloth merchants, mostly foreigners, who offer them ‘easy payment schemes’ to buy cloth for clothes, and when they cannot pay for the cloth and the interest accumulates, they end up having to marry their daughters to these men, who often have wives back home in Pakistan.
One of the cases I could never forget was of the family who came to Ranau Hospital just as I was leaving, a family who had failed crops, were hungry and unable to get food. The father collected some toad eggs and fed them to the whole family in a desperate attempt to stave off hunger. When they arrived at our little emergency room, one of the children were dead and two passed away within 10 minutes of arrival in our casualty unit due to poisoning.
Education is a problem in parts of Sabah outside major towns like Kota Kinabalu at the moment. Many children would be lucky to be able to get to a school or even afford to get to one. Most of my patients outside Ranau were lucky to even have a primary school education and a vast number of women marry in their teens.
I've had 14 year olds delivering babies in Ranau, most of them have never ever stepped foot in a school. The education level is so poor that many women feed their children condensed milk thinking that it's better than breast milk.
But at the heart of it all, these mothers want the best for their children but are not empowered with the knowledge to help them. Major towns in Sabah have electricity courtesy of the Sabah Electricity Board, but smaller villages have either diesel generators or rely on candles or lamps when night falls.
How can children study in these conditions? Like many doctors in the districts, I had to learn Dusun to communicate better with these patients who could speak little else.
Forty five years after the formation of Malaysia, the promise of a better life for these poor Dusun, Murut and Rungus patients in the districts of Sabah is a pipe dream at best. How can our politicians claim to have brought development to the state and have neglected these poor people, many of whom still wear the cheap t-shirts and caps given free by political parties from many elections ago.
How can I claim to be proud of Putrajaya with it's beautiful bridges and lamp posts and the Petronas twin Towers when our fellow Malaysians in Sabah are so neglected?The cycle of poverty and illiteracy one sees in the districts in Sabah brings despair to the heart. Eradication of poverty must tackle the real issues of education and transport and not just handouts to poor people.
By all means, declare Sept 16th a public holiday, but remember it in it's real context, where we made a promise to our brethren in Sabah and Sarawak to treat them as equals in Malaysia, and give them the development they've been long denied.
Source : Letter to The Editor Malaysiakini
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
RM23m Repair Bill Inflated
DAILY EXPRESS NEWS
RM23m repair bill inflated, says MP
KK Member of Parliament, Dr Hiew King Cheu and the majority of professionals present at the forum were not in favour of the proposed demolition of QEH.
"We need the building, there is no other replacement as yet. Its extent of damage is not at a critical stage. I would support the demolition if the whole building were crumbling.
"As it is, only certain portions are structurally damaged and these can be salvaged. From the engineer's point of view, the beams can be repaired," he pointed out.
On Ikram Sabah's Executive Director Vincent Tan's estimation that the structural repair of QEH will cost at least RM23.76 million, Dr Hiew, an engineer by training, said the figure could be exaggerated.
"You don't need that kind of money to repair partial damages. It won't cost that much, could be much less."
At this juncture, he said it was not fair and that the three professional bodies - Association of Consulting Engineers Malaysia (ACEM) Sabah Branch (headed by Joe Chow), Institution of Engineers Malaysia (IEM) Sabah Branch (headed by John Chee) and Malaysian Institute of Architects (PAM) Sabah Chapter (headed by Sim Sie Hong) - should be given a chance to take a closer look for an unbiased and uncorrupted decision.
"They should have a say as this is a matter of public interest."
Dr Hiew reiterated his earlier call for a Master Development Plan for QEH, saying the smaller single-storey structures behind the Tower Block should be replaced with proper buildings.
He, however, said construction of the proposed Twin Tower Block (adjacent to the existing QEH) should start immediately.
"Go ahead with the project," he said.
Meanwhile, Dr Hiew, who left before noon to catch a flight to Kuala Lumpur for the current Parliamentary sitting, said he would meet up with Health Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai to urge the latter to speedily approve the funds for the construction.
"You have fantastic hospital buildings in Lahad Datu and Pitas but a lousy hospital in the State capital. The Government has money to buy the first SMC and now the second SMC, and maybe buying the third SMC. Who knows?
"But no money to build a proper State hospital," he lamented while claiming that his mother once slept on a mattress on the floor at QEH.
Source : Daily Express
This how UMNOed BN treat Sabahan...............
RM23m repair bill inflated, says MP
KK Member of Parliament, Dr Hiew King Cheu and the majority of professionals present at the forum were not in favour of the proposed demolition of QEH.
"We need the building, there is no other replacement as yet. Its extent of damage is not at a critical stage. I would support the demolition if the whole building were crumbling.
"As it is, only certain portions are structurally damaged and these can be salvaged. From the engineer's point of view, the beams can be repaired," he pointed out.
On Ikram Sabah's Executive Director Vincent Tan's estimation that the structural repair of QEH will cost at least RM23.76 million, Dr Hiew, an engineer by training, said the figure could be exaggerated.
"You don't need that kind of money to repair partial damages. It won't cost that much, could be much less."
At this juncture, he said it was not fair and that the three professional bodies - Association of Consulting Engineers Malaysia (ACEM) Sabah Branch (headed by Joe Chow), Institution of Engineers Malaysia (IEM) Sabah Branch (headed by John Chee) and Malaysian Institute of Architects (PAM) Sabah Chapter (headed by Sim Sie Hong) - should be given a chance to take a closer look for an unbiased and uncorrupted decision.
"They should have a say as this is a matter of public interest."
Dr Hiew reiterated his earlier call for a Master Development Plan for QEH, saying the smaller single-storey structures behind the Tower Block should be replaced with proper buildings.
He, however, said construction of the proposed Twin Tower Block (adjacent to the existing QEH) should start immediately.
"Go ahead with the project," he said.
Meanwhile, Dr Hiew, who left before noon to catch a flight to Kuala Lumpur for the current Parliamentary sitting, said he would meet up with Health Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai to urge the latter to speedily approve the funds for the construction.
"You have fantastic hospital buildings in Lahad Datu and Pitas but a lousy hospital in the State capital. The Government has money to buy the first SMC and now the second SMC, and maybe buying the third SMC. Who knows?
"But no money to build a proper State hospital," he lamented while claiming that his mother once slept on a mattress on the floor at QEH.
Source : Daily Express
This how UMNOed BN treat Sabahan...............
Free Movie Attract 5,000 Rural Folks
"Free movie attracts 5,000 rural folks
1st December, 2008
NABAWAN: A
free movie screening by the Information Ministry attracted more than 5,000
people from Nabawan and Sook to the tamu grounds here on Saturday.
It was reminiscent of the 60s and 70s when rural folks were often treated to a free
film that they used to refer to as “wayang piri” (wayang free). This time in Nabawan, it was a showing of the local comedy “Korek Lubang, Tutup Lubang”.
Officers and staff of the Information Department will be moving from
one village to the next and from one town to another after this “premier” show
to enable as many people as possible to enjoy the movies at no charge at
all.
Information Minister Dato’ Ahmad Shabery Cheek spoke to the crowd before
the screening and said he hoped it would help to promote unity by bringing the
people together.
The free movie shows are also a way of disseminating government policies to the masses and the latest information on development programmes. Also present were Nabawan district officer Bubudan O.T Majalu, Nabawan assemblyman Datuk Bobbey Suan and Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah president Tan Sri Joseph Kurup. Tenom member of parliament Raime Unggi also joined the crowd as did the principal secretary of the Ministry of Information Datuk Kamaruddin Siarab and other community leaders.
Source : Sabah Times"
Reading from the above article, it is indeed very sad for Sabah when the UMNOed BN Government treat the rural folks with free movie........
Is the Pensaingan People only worth a free movie?
1st December, 2008
NABAWAN: A
free movie screening by the Information Ministry attracted more than 5,000
people from Nabawan and Sook to the tamu grounds here on Saturday.
It was reminiscent of the 60s and 70s when rural folks were often treated to a free
film that they used to refer to as “wayang piri” (wayang free). This time in Nabawan, it was a showing of the local comedy “Korek Lubang, Tutup Lubang”.
Officers and staff of the Information Department will be moving from
one village to the next and from one town to another after this “premier” show
to enable as many people as possible to enjoy the movies at no charge at
all.
Information Minister Dato’ Ahmad Shabery Cheek spoke to the crowd before
the screening and said he hoped it would help to promote unity by bringing the
people together.
The free movie shows are also a way of disseminating government policies to the masses and the latest information on development programmes. Also present were Nabawan district officer Bubudan O.T Majalu, Nabawan assemblyman Datuk Bobbey Suan and Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah president Tan Sri Joseph Kurup. Tenom member of parliament Raime Unggi also joined the crowd as did the principal secretary of the Ministry of Information Datuk Kamaruddin Siarab and other community leaders.
Source : Sabah Times"
Reading from the above article, it is indeed very sad for Sabah when the UMNOed BN Government treat the rural folks with free movie........
Is the Pensaingan People only worth a free movie?
Project Saving Sabah
In 1970, Sabah ranked as one of the richest states in the federation, with a per capita GDP second only to Selangor (which then included Kuala Lumpur).
However, despite its vast wealth of natural resources, Sabah is currently the poorest of Malaysia's states.
Fast forward to 2008, average incomes are now among the lowest in Malaysia, and with a considerably higher cost of living than in West Malaysia.
In 2000 Sabah had an unemployment rate of 5.6 per cent, the highest of any Malaysian state and almost twice the national average of 3.1 per cent.
The state has the highest povety level in the country at 16 per cent, more than three times the national average.
Part of the problem is the inequitable distribution of wealth between state and federal governments, and large numbers of illegal immigrants from Indonesia, the Philippines, even East Timor, whose population was estimated to be in the region of half a million people.
In 2004 the poverty level worsened to 22 per cent.
Source - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabah
Now the issue here is Sabah have been under the Alliance/BN rule since 1963. An the last decade under UMNO.
UMNO seem to have UMNOed all the BN components party to the extend none have the guts to stand up for Sabahan.
All the resources that Sabah have, Sabah have no say in the management of this resources. The timber industry is in its twilight years. The Palm Oil Industry is in the hands of non Sabahan, the Oil and Gas is a nationalised property.
Question is how could Sabah in about 30 years (45 year being in Malaysia) from one of the richest state became the poorest with multiple social problems.
The answer is simple, Sabah have been played out by UMNOed BN Government.
So Sabahan, what say you, kita sia bah buli SEP SABAH from the UMNOed BN Goboment.
However, despite its vast wealth of natural resources, Sabah is currently the poorest of Malaysia's states.
Fast forward to 2008, average incomes are now among the lowest in Malaysia, and with a considerably higher cost of living than in West Malaysia.
In 2000 Sabah had an unemployment rate of 5.6 per cent, the highest of any Malaysian state and almost twice the national average of 3.1 per cent.
The state has the highest povety level in the country at 16 per cent, more than three times the national average.
Part of the problem is the inequitable distribution of wealth between state and federal governments, and large numbers of illegal immigrants from Indonesia, the Philippines, even East Timor, whose population was estimated to be in the region of half a million people.
In 2004 the poverty level worsened to 22 per cent.
Source - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabah
Now the issue here is Sabah have been under the Alliance/BN rule since 1963. An the last decade under UMNO.
UMNO seem to have UMNOed all the BN components party to the extend none have the guts to stand up for Sabahan.
All the resources that Sabah have, Sabah have no say in the management of this resources. The timber industry is in its twilight years. The Palm Oil Industry is in the hands of non Sabahan, the Oil and Gas is a nationalised property.
Question is how could Sabah in about 30 years (45 year being in Malaysia) from one of the richest state became the poorest with multiple social problems.
The answer is simple, Sabah have been played out by UMNOed BN Government.
So Sabahan, what say you, kita sia bah buli SEP SABAH from the UMNOed BN Goboment.
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