Reject Ketuanan Melayu, Sabah Muslims told

In Kinabatangan constituency, immigrants outnumber
locals by five fold!

Michael Kaung

KOTA KINABALU: United Borneo Front (UBF), which has been calling for the reinstatement of Sabah and Sarawak rights as stipulated under the Malaysia Agreement, wants Sabah Muslims to reject Umno’s ‘Ketuanan Melayu” (Malay supremacy) concept.

“Sabahan Muslims should reject the Ketuanan Melayu concept because Malays were non-existent during pre-Independence (in Sabah),” said UBF vice chairman Awang Ahmad Shah.

“As Sabahans we should look forward above religion and race and not let the federal government divide us by race and religion.

“Who will look after us when our oil are exhausted and Sabah becomes a liability to the federal government?”

Awang Ahmad said the acceptance of foreigners as ‘bumiputeras’ or ‘Malay’ had sidelined local natives.

“The federal leaders should make Sabahans proud to be Malaysians by practicing justice and respecting the feelings of Sabahan Malaysians.

“We shouldn’t be deprived of our rights and our resources as well as the opportunities to develop and progress with dignity. We deserve the right to speak and choose without fear,” he added.

Awang Ahmad was hitting out at Malaysian Muslim Welfare Association (Pekida) Sabah chairman Mohd Akjan Ali Muhammad who had objected to the proposed Royal Commision of Inquiry (RCI) claiming it would cause racial tension among the various ethnic groups in Sabah.

Describing Akjan’s claim as not only irresponsible but scandalous, ridiculous and treasonous to all genuine Sabahans, Awang Ahamd said: “All ethnic groups in Sabah including local Suluks and Bajaus have been living together and working hand in hand since Independence in 1963 and have even formed the state government together and shared the power.

“Our concern on the wrongful issuance of IC, MyCards and citizenship to the illegal immigrants is genuine as these foreigners have numbered almost equal to the local population.”

Government ignoring due process

Local politicians and civil rights groups are incensed that thousands of allegedly unqualified illegal immigrants have been granted citizenship purely for political purposes.

They claim that the mass issuance of MyKads by the federal government to illegal immigrants has encouraged the influx of foreigners to the state to the extent that the local population is on the verge of becoming a minority.

Awang Ahmad said that it was ironical that instead of protecting Sabah from being “invaded” by Indonesia or the Philippines as promised by Tunku Abdul Rahman, the present government had caused a reverse takeover of Sabah by ignoring due process and granting citizenship to all-commers.

“This is the problem that we are talking about” added Awang Ahmad.

“Only the RCI can independently investigate the roots of the problems and offer remedies to be taken to resolve the problem of illegal immigrants and the granting of citizenships to them who are unqualified,” he said.

UBF, an NGO set up by Jeffrey Kitingan last year, has been warning that Sabahans are feeling threatened on all fronts as employment, education, politics, business and quarrels over land become common along with crime and social problems.

Already public transportation such as taxis and buses are dominated by immigrants or new Sabahans while enrollment in public universities and colleges has become more difficult, Awang Ahmad claimed.

Immigrants outnumber locals

In Kinabatangan district alone, he said, locals were outnumbered five fold with a reported population of 117,689 foreigners to 32,638 locals in 2010.

“State seats in the east and west coast especially Muslim majority seats and mixed-seats are already filled with thousands of voters with dubious MyKads.

“The illegal immigrants with MyKads have become the balancing power and dictate the outcome of the elections. For example, both Petagas and Tanjung Aru, have at least 2,000 voters each with dubious MyKads,” he alleged.

He said that since the federal government holds the power, Sabahans view the authorities as the root of this problem.

“The government instead of taking action, is protecting and covering up their wrong doings. It is not surprising that they are not in favour of establishing the RCI.

“The dependence on these foreign voters have weakened Sabah Umno leaders who no longer have the credibility, integrity and will-power to safeguard and protect Sabah,” added Awang Ahmad