KOTA KINABALU, Dec 19 — Two political leaders from opposing sides have called for further probes into the type of demographic engineering that helped foreigners in Sabah become Malaysian citizens.
Barisan Nasional’s United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation Datuk Madius Tangau and PKR’s Darell Leiking said that just based on research and evidence from the recent Royal Commission of Inquiry, it was clear that there was intention to change the demography of the state from its Christian-led Parti Bersatu Sabah government to a Muslim majority.
Tangau said former Chief Minister Tan Sri Harris Salleh had made certain “strong statements” which laid the grounds for “Projek IC”, and submitted it as evidence during the RCI public hearings.
He also referred to a thesis study by American academic Dr Kamal Sadiq on how illegal migrants were able to become Malaysian citizens which explained why the state prefered non-citizens to citizen votes.
“All the evidence and research itself will tell the police and the Special Branch what they need to investigate.
“The angle taken by the report was that it was financially-motivated, but whatever it is, police should have also investigate that angle (demographic engineering),” said the Tuaran MP, also adding that it was not too late to take action.
He said this in a webcast discussion moderated by political analyst Professor James Chin of Monash University and organised by the Jeffrey Cheah Institute on Southeast Asia.
Earlier, Chin said that there were two consistent points made by the five witnesses who were involved in handing out Malaysian ICs to foreigners – that they were asked to do it by a higher authority and because they believed a Muslim majority was wanted at the time.
Chin said that although there was clear allegations by the witnesses, the police had only investigated the financial inducement angle and did not ask them about racial engineering despite clear political motive.
Leiking, who is MP of Penampang, the heartland of the Kadazan community, said that 90 per cent of Sabahans will agree that the state was subject demographic engineering.
“Muslims in Sabah have told me personally they can’t work with PTIs (an acronym for Pendatang Tanpa Izin or illegal immigrants) who have become citizens because of different cultures and practice.
“The Dusuns of Tuaran, Kadazans of Penampangs, the Bajaus, they have a similar like culture so religion was not an not issue. But what happened changed our demographic and landscape, and we have to fight to make it right, find the truth,” said Leiking.
“Sabah had never experienced religious division before, but with this project, we are now populaced by this new demographic,” he said.
Tangau Madius and Leiking agreed that Dr Sadiq’s should have been invited to appear before the RCI as his research were quoted extensively many times in the RCI and was relevant to the topic of discussion.
Both had also said that issuing new ICs to Sabahans was the most effective way to resolve the long-standing issue in the state.
The RCI report, released to the public earlier this month said that “Projek IC”, a clandestine project to give out citizenship to illegal immigrants in Sabah in exchange for votes, “most likely” existed based on testimonies from several government officials.
Among the witnesses, the RCI said former Sabah National Registration Department director Ramli Kamaruddin said he was transferred to Sabah in order to assist the government become more Islam-based by identifying Muslim voters and persuade them to vote for certain Islamic parties.
Ramli was among those who were detained under the Internal Security Act for his role in issuing ICs to immigrants, He was detained from 1995 to 1997.
