Press Conference Statement by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Kota Melaka, Lim Kit Siang, in Sandakan on Saturday, July 12, 1986 at 10a.m
PBS government should take firm action against illegal Filipino and Indonesian immigrants NOW as there is the danger of its losing the will, interest and power to do anything on this issue the longer it is in the Barisan Nasional
I call on the PBS Government to take firm and positive action against illegal Filipino and Indonesian immigrants NOW in its early days of Government, as the there is the danger of its losing the will, interest and power to do anything on this problem the longer it is in the Barisan Nasional.
I do not agree that the PBS Government can do nothing about the illegal Filipino and Indonesian immigrants issue because it is a Federal matter, for if this is the case, why did the PBS make this one of its major campaign issues in the last two state general elections.
Although PBS is now in the Barisan Nasional, the DAP does not regard it as our political enemy. After all, in the past years or more, the
DAP had stood up and championed the PBS cause inside and outside Parliament throughout Malaysia for the sake of the people of Sabah.
We should still like to help PBS carry out its responsibilities and promises to the people of and will support PBS Government for actions taken in the interest of the people of Sabah, but will be critical of omission or commission detrimental to the people of Sabah.
The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr.Mahathir Mohamed, said during his two-day visit to Sabah that the government would deport every illegal immigrant in Sabah. Nobody takes dim seriously, for if the Prime Minister and the Federal Government had been conscientious in this matter, it would not have been a long-standing menace to Sabahans for over a decade.
This is another example of the Federal Government which have eyes that see not, ears that hear not, and even mouth speak not.
In the March 1986 anarchy in Sabah, where everyone from a child an Sabah, as well as ordinary Malaysians, know who is behind the spate of illegal demonstrations, bomb blasts, arson and rioting, our Prime Minister was the only one person who does not know.
For over 10 years, everyone inside Malaysia know that illegal Filipino and Indonesian immigrants have turned Sabah into state where the Sabahans have themselves become ‘refugees’, where they are sitting targets of crimes like burglary, armed robbery, rape and murder and latest, arson and rioting; while their citizenship, political, economic, educational rights are constantly under threat. But the Prime Minister seems to be the only person in Malaysia who does not know.
The Prime Minister would not think that Sabahans are no naïve that they could be satisfied with one statement about deporting every illegal immigrant in the state, when nothing has been done to show that the Federal Government will break down from its past policy of closing both eyes to the influx of illegal immigrants.
Yesterday, I proposed a two-prong strategy to rid Sabah of illegal Filipino and Indonesian immigrants: firstly, deport every illegal immigrant; and secondly, to verify and identify and illegal who have fraudulently acquired false identification, citizenship and even voting rights.
For the first step, the PBS State Government can publicly commit itself to support this two-prong strategy.
The first prong of deporting illegal immigrants should be carried out immediately, so that by before Parliament is dissolved, and general elections held, at least 25 per cent of all illegal Filipino and Indonesian immigrants is every ton and area would be deported!
A Special Task Force, which could be named Task Force Sabah Illegal Filipino and Indonesian Immigrants (Task Force SIFI) should be immediately formed comprising the police, military, marine, immigramion and people’s vigilante corps with full power to identify and deport the illegal immigrants. The vigilante corp element in the SIFI should comprise people’s vigilante corps formed by the people themselves to help protest law, order and safety in their own neighbourhoods. Task Force SIFI would be modelled after the Task Force VII to lead with Vietnanere refuses in 1979.
For the second-prong operation, a special Commission should be set up comprising the Federal Government, the PBS State Government, and major political parties in Sabah, including DAP to review and examine the citizenship status of suspicious persons who might have acquired their identification, citizenship and voting rights through fraud.
Those found to have acquired their citizenship and voting rights fraudulently should be stripped of their citizenship status, struck off the electoral registers, and charged in court for their crimes.
After he was overthrown as Sabah Chief Minister, Datuk Harris Salleh told the Star newspaper in an interview on May 1985 that the PBS Government would at most have one term of five years, because “a lot of people are getting citizenship and all that”.
I am not aware that a lot of people are getting citizenship, expect the illegal Filipino and Indonesian immigrants who seem to be acquiring red and blue identify cards within very short periods of coming to Sabah.
I am worried that if the PBS Government does not immediately take firm action, as in implementing the two-prong strategy I suggested, after another two years, they would have become to tied down with Barisan Nasional thinking that even of they privately agree that the illegal immigrants issue should be resolved, publicly they cannot say or do anything.
DAP to outline the Sabah elements in the DAP General Elections Manifesto during the DAP Book Fair at Gaya Street in Kota Kinabalu tomorrow at 9.30a.m.
The DAP will outline the Sabah elements in the DAP General Elections Manifesto during the DAP Book Fair at Gaya Street in Kota Kinabalu tomorrow at 9.30 a.m.
From the visit DAP Organising Secretary, Chian Heng Kai, and DAP MP for Sandakan, Fung Ket Wing and I had made to KK, Labuan, Tawau and Sandakan, we have had the opportunity to know at first hand the issues, problems and concerns foremost in the minds of Sabahans.
I am glad to received reports that my call for a referendum for the people of Labuan to decide whether to remain in the Federal Territory or revert back to Sabah State has received very good response from the people of Labuan of all communities.
In fact, this Labuan issue should concern not only the people of Labuan, but also the people of Sabah. Sabahans should also take the opportunity in the coming Federal parliamentary elections to express their strong objection to the separation of Labuan from Sabah State, without the consent, approval or authority of the people of Sabah.
PBS Government should lodge a strong protest with Barisan Nasional and Federal Government against the inconsequential charging of 37 persons for unlawful assembly in connection with March unrest
The PBS State Government should lodge a strong protest with the Barisan Nasional and the Federal Government for the inconsequential charging of 37 persons for unlawful assembly in connection with the March bombings, arson, rioting causing five deaths and destruction of $10 million property.
It is clear that the Federal Government is not taking the feelings of the people of Sabah seriously.
I hope that when DAP MPs stand up in Parliament if it meets on July 21 to condemn the Federal Government and the Federal Attorney-General, Tan Sri Abu Talib Othman, for their grave irresponsibility and negligence in only charging the 37 people for the minor offence of illegal assembly, which has a maximum fine of $500 or six months jail, PBS MPs can give DAP support in Parliament.