Safeguard constitution when dealing with citizenship — Bumburing
KOTA KINABALU: Parti Cinta Sabah (PCS) president Datuk Seri Panglima Wilfred Bumburing said the state government had the paramount duty to safeguard the constitution and interest of Sabah when dealing with citizenship.
The people voted them on the premise, among others, that the government stand to safeguard the interest of Sabah, he pointed out.
“A blanket granting of citizenship to stateless kids, who are now mostly adults, disregard the due process of the law. It will be endearing great injustice to the people of Sabah as it is widely known that many children from legal mixed marriages have faced difficulties in trying to get identity cards.
“I have personally seen several such parents in Sabah who are asked to go to Putrajaya to secure ICs for their children. This is completely absurd on (the) part of the government agencies concerned. Why can’t they process it in Sabah itself for Sabahans, after all government machinery is now linked with each other,” Bumburing stressed.
He added that PCS sympathizes with the plight of the stateless kids in Sabah which, he claimed, is the product of the inaction of the previous governments.
The influx of foreigners to Sabah in the past, with the government closing one eye, has caused this big burden to Sabah. For sure something needs to be done to address this issue but not at the expense of the law of the land and the genuine citizens, Bumburing said.
“Basically, a comprehensive database on these stateless kids should be established first and foremost. This will ascertain the details of their parentage, particularly on the Sabahan parents. The law states that the citizenship of a child will follow the citizenship of the mother. The authorities must satisfy themselves legally that the mothers are indeed genuine Sabahans.
“The service of the mobile court in Sabah is very pertinent to deal with this matter at this stage. Moreover, the RCI report has also clearly indicated rampant issuance of ICs in the past. Therefore, the government must act on the RCI report as well in conjunction with the proper action to be taken on this stateless kids situation despite it now seems put to the back burner. If the mother has become a Sabahan unlawfully then a review must be done to protect the sanctity of the law of the land,” he said.
According to him, it is not a question of punishing the children because of the sins of their parents, and he added, “... the problem has arisen because of the sin of inaction of past governments.
“Also, to say that giving them citizenship will provide Sabah with young labour force does not fit into rightful sense. Can’t we spend our resources to train young genuine Sabahans for absorption into the labour force? Do we train our focus to new force and forget our own locals, especially natives, who continue to languish in poverty for being tied with their agrarian background?
“A proper solution to this problem surely needs political will of the government but the bottom line is not to trade the law of the land,” said the veteran politician.
“If the exercise is allowed inappropriately and improperly it will be a watershed of the future of Sabah,” he warned.
“The sad thing is many are not aware or do not care of the real situation, its potential danger and negative implications should the issue be tackled haphazardly. Some political leaders even choose to remain silent,” Bumburing lamented.
“I urge the Sabah government to commence immediate survey and obtain the assistance of the mobile court to expedite the process responsibly and sincerely. It is a time consuming and expensive exercise but the spending is worthwhile in protecting the law of the land. The government owes it to the people by listening to the loud voices on the issue,” he said.
Bumburing added that because of the magnitude of the problem, the suggestion to obtain the assistance of related embassies and UNHCR is equally worth serious consideration.
“The problem is not the problem of the government of the day alone but it is a problem of the people at large and therefore it entails a combined effort. Neither is it beneficial to politicise this issue in any way by any quarter because it might only complicate matters and further slow down the solution process.
“I strongly believe that this subject (should) be handled wisely and carefully for the benefit of the state and her genuine citizens.
“Besides the mobile court, the government could also seek assistance from relevant people in respective areas in Sabah to determine the true identities of certain individuals among the target group. I am certain that these referrals will be willing to offer their help where possible,” he said.