KOTA KINABALU, Dec 4 — Before yesterday’s revelations, Sabahans had waited over four decades for answers to why and how their beloved state has been overrun by foreigners who, among others, are blamed for the rise of social, economic and security problems.
Natives born and bred in the “Land below the Wind” have demanded for years that the government explain the truth behind claims that corrupt politicians were responsible for the state’s burgeoning foreigner population and that the covert operation dubbed “Projek IC” was the cause of Sabah’s changing demographics.
The 1980s “Projek IC”, many have alleged, was responsible for the abnormal spike in Sabah’s population, where foreigners now make up nearly 30 per cent of the state’s 3.12 million populace.
As such, when Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced the formation of the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) in 2012 to examine the issue, often described as the “mother of all problems” by local politicians, there was hope that the effort would finally sate their quest for the truth.
But the excitement was short-lived.
Yesterday, at the release of the RCI report, two years after the panel’s formation, the sigh that Sabahans heaved was not one of relief but of incredulity.
After a nine month-hearing, testimonies from 211 witnesses and more than a year’s worth of delays, the royal panel only made one recommendation: That a permanent secretariat be set up to tackle Sabah’s illegal immigrants problem.
The panel, despite acknowledging that “Projek IC” had in all “probability” existed, said the initiative was not politically-driven as initially claimed, but likely the fault of corrupt syndicates that handed out identification cards to illegals to make a buck or two.
Due to limitations in its terms of reference, the panel made no mention of the culprits involved or recommendation of punitive action.
The panel then ended its lengthy 366-page report with a postscript that said it only has the power to “inquire” and “make findings”, while any further action is up to the government.
“All it takes is the political will,” it said.
Here are the three biggest takeaways from the Sabah RCI:
1.Sabahans are not convinced by the RCI
As Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders repeatedly commended the panel’s findings yesterday, many others expressed scorn at what they said was an anti-climatic announcement.
Speaking for the masses of Kadazans in Sabah, Penampang MP Darell Leiking lambasted the government for wasting taxpayer’s money on the RCI, only to tell Sabahans things they already knew.
Internet users, in turn, reacted with anger and disbelief that there was no acknowledgement or resolution on the issues they were facing. For example, there was nary a mention of voter fraud in the RCI report — the very reason that most Sabahans believe was the cause of the influx of illegal immigrants and their instant “Malaysianisation”.
And even though it is known that the terms of reference did not include naming and blaming the cause of the problems, calling it “a profit-driven” move by corrupt syndicates with no mention of political agenda only served to incense many natives who have watched the demographic landscape of Sabah change drastically over the years.
“Honestly, would any of the BN Sabah component party members, who have no pecuniary interest at all in the party apart from the genuine love towards Sabah, believe the findings of the RCI? No one will”, Leiking said.
2.The authorities are good at defending themselves
When fielding questions from the media at the press conference to announce the findings yesterday, Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Ali Hamsa excelled in deflecting potentially-controversial questions from reporters.
When asked what took so long for the report to be made public, and what is the guarantee of the authenticity of the report, he succinctly replied that he guaranteed there were no edits and that the document was legit.
Faced with questions on how admittedly falsified identities had tainted electoral results, Attorney-General Tan Sri Gani Patail, who was also present at the reveal, calmly responded that the voter registration was clean, after removing “many” names, but that the number was negligible and did not affect results.
However, witnesses during the public hearing had claimed between 80,620 and “at least 200,000” names in the electoral roll were not supposed to be there.
3.Sabahans’ wait for real answers to continue
It is obvious to anyone that a problem of this magnitude and which has been part of a society for generations will not be solved with a report, not matter how royal.
It is not as simple as deporting every illegal immigrant back to their “home country”, withdrawing all ICs illegally issued to the group, or absorbing them into society.
Each presents its own benefits and challenges, either mechanism, societal or implementation, but none will absolutely address the issue.
The permanent secretariat, jointly headed by the state chief minister and home minister, is the commission’s way of providing a platform to address each concern separately and holistically, but it is the management committee, to be headed by an “independent professional of the highest integrity not involved in politics” that is bestowed with “extensive powers” to deliberate on and make recommendations to the secretariat.
Add in the “working committee” headed by Sabahan statesman Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan and it is apparent that more researches, studies, consultations must be done before any move can be made that can again, permanently alter’s Sabah’s cultural landscape.
But Sabahans, while famed for their laid back attitude, are getting very impatient.
Society is changing, and they fear their culture and their rights are diminishing.
They’ve been waiting for a change for decades but after yesterday, it appears that their wait is far from over.
