Speech by Parliamentary Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Kota Melaka, Lim Kit Siang, at the Pudu DAP Branch Anniversary Dinner held at Kornp1ex Wilayah, Jalan Canipbell on Sunday, 4.8.1985 at 9 pm
DAP calls for a fully-powered independent inquiry into the problem of the mass-scale acquisition of blue identity cards by illegal. Indonesian immigrants which grant them citizenship rights for themselves and their off-springs.
Yesterday, the Chairman of the Selangor Malay Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Raja Datuk Nasron Raja Ishak, disagreed with my earlier call in Johore Bahru for an effective government campaign to deport the illegal Indonesian immigrants end to declare Johore as a ‘black area’ because of its frontline position with regard to illegal Indonesian immigrants.
Instead, Raja Datuk Nasron called for the ‘legalisation’ of the illegal Indonesian immigrants, which I estimate to be in the region of 800,000 to one million in the whole of Malaysia.
Raja Datuk Nasron’s suggestion is most shocking and against Malaysia’s national interest. Firstly, the 1984 Agreement between Malaysia and Indonesia on the supply of Indonesian labour was meant to regularise the import of Indonesian workers and so the question of the legalisation of the illegal Indonesian immigrants who are already in the country does not arise.
Secondly, Raja Datuk Nasron is disregarding the grave ‘socio-’economic and law-and—order problems brought long by the illegal Indonesian immigrants, whether short- term, medium—term or long- term.
It is open knowledge that there are groups in the country which would want to change the demographic or population breakdowns in the country by the influx of Indonesian immigrants. This must be opposed for, it is in the interest of national unity, harmony and solidarity that no one group or race should seek to upset the delicate ethnic equation in the country, by massive infusion of immigrants of a particular ethnic stock, whether legally or illegally
Thirdly, the indication or hint that illegal Indonesian immigrants would be regularised would open wide the doors of Malaysia to a further influx of illegal Indonesian immigrants in terms of millions of rather than thousands.
The DAP calls on the Deputy Prime Minister who is also the Minister of Home Affairs, Datuk Musa Hitam, to give a clear- cut assurance to the people and country that the government would not under any circumstances regularise or legalise the presence of the 800,000 to one million illegal Indonesian immigrants in the country.
In this connection, a statement by the fo rmer Sabah Chief Minister,
Datuk Harris Salleh in May this year, deserves the closest scrutiny. Datuk
Harris was predicting that the most he gave PBS to be the State Government of
Sabah was five years. This was Datuk Harris’ reasoning:
“After the elections (Sabah general elections), the Malaya have gone to USNO and either USNO or another Islamic party may get 24 seats in a future election because a lot of people are getting citizenships and all that.”
Who are these ‘a lot of people’ who are getting citizenships? Are they the illegal Indonesian immigrants and Filipino refugees?
It is open knowledge that illegal Indonesian immigrants who enter Malaysia could get blue identity card papers within a short period of time, which would entitle them to citizenship rights and facilities for themselves and their off springs, including the right to vote, to stand for election and to determine Malaysia’s political future.
The DAP calls for the establishment of a fully—powered independent inquiry into the problem of the mass—scale acquisition of blue identity card papers by illegal Indonesian immigrants.
Ordinary Malaysians have no confidence in the ability or will of the National Registration Department or the Ministry of Home Affairs to deal with the problem of the mass—scale acquisition of blue identity cards by illegal Indonesian immigrants.
In fact, officially, the Government is still pretendi ng that there is no serious problem as far as illegal Indonesian immigrants in Malaysia are concerned.
In Parliament, the Deputy Home Affairs Minister, Radzi Sheikh Ahmad , had the cheek to ask MPs who asked him about the presence of illegal Indonesian immigrants to help the police and immigratition authorities to locate them!
A Minister r Deputy r1inistor who is not prepared to admit the magnitude of the problem of illegal Indonesian immigrants in Malaysia is not fit to remain in office, and hou1d resign his poet forthwith so that he would not jeopardise the people’s and national interest by such ignorance and incompetence.
It is also open knowledge that when illegal Indonesian immigrants acquire blue identity cards, they would discard their Indonesian names and birth-place and other biographical data, and assume a completely new (Malay) name, with a whole biographical past in Malaysia even with regard to his birth-place and birth-date.
It is not difficult for any fully-powered independent inquiry to unearth the magnitude of such a racket to issue blue identity cards to illegal Indonesian immigrants who are not entitled to them.
I have no doubt that if such a fully—powered independent inquiry is established, it would receive a lot of information and evidence from the public about such a racket which could seriously undermine national interest.
If such an independent inquiry is established, the DAP is prepared to offer the fullest co-operation, and fmrnish the first such case if necessary, complete with documentary evidence.