Include UPKO in RCI committee call
KOTA KINABALU: UPKO Youth welcomes the federal cabinet’s decision to make the Royal Commission of Inquiry on the presence of illegal immigrants in Sabah, public next month.
Its chief Arthur Sen welcomed the announcement by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, who when officiating at UPKO’s delegates convention on Saturday, said the RCI report and findings would be made public early next month.
Arthur said the problem pertaining to illegal immigrants was a pertinent problem in Sabah which started in the 1970s when there was an influx of immigrants from the southern Philippines due to the confrontation between the Philippine government and the southern Philippine rebels.
“We also had to abide by (the request from) the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) to give protection to these refugees in Sabah. Even though the confrontation is over in the Southern Philippines, the entry of illegal immigrants still persists,” he said in a statement yesterday.
According to Arthur, a population census made by the government in 2010 revealed that Sabah’s population had increased by 500 per cent from the 1960’s to 2010.
“This is beyond the national average. In addition, the intrusion by militants at Kg. Tanduo, Lahad Datu, where some of them were reported to possess Malaysian ICs, and the continued threats of the Abu Sayap group, have contributed to the belief that illegal immigrants had obtained Malaysian identification through dubious means.
“This had resulted in UPKO requesting for the RCI to be set up,” he said.
Arthur added that Najib on Saturday said it was UPKO who had made the request first, and was subsequently followed by PBS and Umno respectively.
“We were told that the RCI report with its recommendations was submitted to the government at the end of last year. Because every Sabahan is concerned about this issue, we UPKO Youth, lauds the Prime Minister’s announcement.
“In fact it is long overdue but it is better than nothing. We are also pleased to note that a committee will be set up to scrutinize the RCI report and recommendations. This shows that the Prime Minister is sincere in finding ways to solve the illegal immigrant problem in Sabah,” he said, adding that there was no point having the RCI report without concrete solutions to the problems of the so called ‘IC Project’.”
UPKO Youth also congratulated Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Pairin Kitingan for being appointed as chairman of the committee announced by Najib.
He said UPKO Youth has high confidence in Pairin’s credentials being a law graduate and a former Sabah CM, and his continued efforts on this issue.
“We also urge that UPKO representatives be included in the committee. We request this because we feel we have some qualified members who had conducted detailed research with regard to the problems of illegal immigrants in the state,” he said.