Kamaruddin B Omar, who moved from Selangor to Sabah in 1972 after marrying a Sabahan, has been so pissed off with the rampant illegal migration into Sabah by workers as far away as India that he lodged his third, yes, third report yesterday in Kota Kinabalu, ...
... about the ridiculous increase in the number of illegal workers, who were able to secure Malaysian personal documents illegally.
He said: "I lodged the police report so that the police, National Registration Department, Immigration Department and the Home Affairs Minister will conduct investigations and arrest all the Indian immigrants and other illegal immigrants who have obtained ICs illegally."
"I was threatened with bodily harm after my first two police reports and shifted my business to Lahad Datu because there were too many illegals in Telupid."
Kamaruddin made his report after an incident less than 2 weeks ago when he found the locks to his restaurant in Lahad Datu had been changed without notice by the owner of the premises to deny him entry. He believed he is being harassed for whistle-blowing (making ‘noise’) about the illegal immigrants.
Abdul Mutalib B Mohamed, a blogger and an anti-illegal-immigrant activist, who has written six books on the issuance of Malaysian personal documents illegally in Sabah, commented on Kamaruddin’s chagrin at the ease of the 'illegals' in obtaining official identification documentations, saying:
"Kamaruddin is frustrated by the fact that despite being Malaysian and married to a Sabahan (for more than 35 years), he was unable to obtain permanent residence status in the state while he saw with his own eyes how foreigners from India were issued with MyKads."
According to the Malaysiakini chart on Sabah’s population boom, the numbers in the State in the last thirty years went ballistic, from a mere 637,000 to 2,450,000, a Godzilla-ish growth of 285%.
Tongkat Ali? Jamu cap Jayanegara (Kala Gemet)?
But hang on, you ain’t seen nothing yet, because Sinchew has just reported in its China, Indonesia, Korea: Millions Face Job Losses In Asia that Indonesia is expecting to lay off at least 1.5 million workers due to the global recession.
Forget about China and Korea – their 'iilegals' won’t get in to Malaysia in large numbers, but those 1.5 million Indons and more from India will.
I bet you those millions (from Indon and India and of course, southern Philippines) will be swarming into what they believe to be still a thriving Malaysia.
I dare say most Malaysians won’t be able to compete with them in their willingness to work for a pittance. And I just dread to think of the crime rates, not just from these illegal immigrants but from the Malaysian jobless.
Will we have the strategy, policies, plans and tactics to deal with this expected influx of illegal immigrant workers.
It's strange to think that we've become a country that other people consider to have better opportunities.
ReplyDeleteWe work for a pittance compared to Europe, Australia and USA.
We are far more accessible to an Indon than Europe, Aus or the US, and our borders are 'porous' (by neglect or design?)
ReplyDeleteAlaos, our 'pitiful' earnings are relatively 'humongous' to an Indon.
The western powers created this artificial border-many Filipinos and Sabahans cross the borders everyday as they have done for thousands of years-for many, they just don't understand that they now (for better or worse) require papers.
ReplyDeleteThis has been made worse by opportunists-from BN for many years (Harris Salleh onwards, and perhaps even Tun Mustapha) to the many Sabahans who like to blame illegal immigrants for everything yet continue to hire (and abuse) them willingly.
Every social ill in Sabah is apparently the fault of the 'Indon' or the 'Pilak'. Every piece of garbage on the road, to every criminal act is the fault of these pendatangs. Until we take responsibility for our own actions, this situation will never be resolved.
Then there's the highlighted issue of the West M'sians who cannot get PR status in Sabah. While the process of Borneonisation was ignored by the federal govt leading to massive resentment (and rightfully so), the time to treat individuals from West M'sian as being synonymous with the imperialism of the federal govt has unfortunately yet to pass. I should know, I was a big anti-West M'sian bigot and I was far from being alone. Sabahans today continue to be overly parochial seeing enemies everywhere (west m'sians and illegal immigarnts) when we are their own worst enemies with our short-term thinking and opportunism that destroys the state further.
Anyway, I digress. There is, IMO, nothing we can do to stop this influx (of at least Filipinos) until peace is achieved in the Sulu and Mindanao areas but that takes great political will, which is sadly lacking in Manila. The Muslims in southern Philippines have been the subject of discrimination for eons, from the Spanish times to Marcos and now the so-called democratic establishment of a Catholic dominated govt who see Muslims as second class citizens. M'sia can do all it wants to stem this tide (and we all know M'sia is doing far less than 'all it can') but the solution lies across the Sulu Sea, not in Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur or anywhere else.
Parvinder, you have been most succinct in stating "... many Filipinos and Sabahans cross the borders everyday as they have done for thousands of years ...".
ReplyDeleteIndeed, borders have been mainly (not completely, mind you) westerm creations.
As an example, my immediate ancestors - great granddads (both sides) and families - came from China during pre and during British colonial days without stuff like passports (let alone visas).
When nationhood, borders and their control were introduced, trust our unscrupulous pollies to nurture their private migration policy for their personal political interests.
Didn't know you need to be PR in Sabah eventhough you're Malaysian? So what's the point of Malaysian citizenship then?
ReplyDeleteAnnonymous-one of the safeguards granted to Sabah and Sarawak in joining with Malaya and S'pore to form M'sia was to stop the influx of better qualified Malayans to take jobs in East Malaysia. This was called Borneonisation, and was supposed to lead to locals taking jobs vacated by the British officers. Sabah and S'wak were granted certain immigration controls. Malayans had to apply to stay indefinitely in East M'sia.
ReplyDeleteBorneonisation in Sabah largely never took place due to Tun Mustapha and his cronies selling out to a very imperialistic federal govt but Sarawak stood firm. Today, the civil service in Sarawak remains largely local.
Over time, as integration took place, this situation has become a bit of a running joke. In areas such as law, where West M'sian lawyers cannot just go and practice in East M'sia we have substandard lawyers practising for example. Much like the NEP, these measures were intended to improve the lot of the locals but much like the NEP has only achieved limited success as it has become a byword for protectionism.
After all these years we have yet to stand on our two feet (Sabahans at least-Sarawakians are much further ahead of us). Whether this was because Borneonisation in Sabah was not allowed to work effectively or because it was allowed to work (in the law profession for example) is a matter for debate.
At any rate, it is now stupid that a West M'sian must get a PR to stay in East M'sia. We need to move on with the times.
This is strange. Very strange.
ReplyDeleteIn Peninsular Malaysia, one just got to walk in any street to see the extreme situation we are in. So many foreign labourers.
Our Gormen have totally lost control of the situation. In one news report, a 'jobless' illegal worker was caught for crime made.
A 'jobless' foreigner? How did he come into the country in the first place?
We do not read about any serious attempt by our Gormen to solve this so what can we do?
Many that I've spoke to just could not care less. We have just got to take care of our own selves and have no longer any faith in our law enforcers.
To those who have a tidak apa attitude:- "It looks like you will only do something when these fcukers break into your homes and hump your maid, wife, daughter,dog, grandma, gold fish...!!!!"
Damn!
Regards
Birds Talking Too
There is no political will in BN to resolve the Illegal immigrants issue in East Malaysia. Because it is very much a BN-UMNO creation in the first place, as in Project M.
ReplyDeleteIts true the border with both Phillipines and Indonesia is an artificial one, but it wasn't such a big issue in the 1960's and 1970's.
There are short term political advantages for UMNO, as the "instant Malaysians" vote BN all the way. But the poison will come back to haunt Malaysia.
its just in your imagination, KT. syed hamid and his gang of goons including Chor will tell you, "its just perception". there aint no deluge of illegals get ICs.
ReplyDelete