Third waves of 'ethnic cleansing' in Sabah

13Friday · Post time 3-8-2008 01:52 PM

Worst as in the third waves of ethnic cleansing - first in refugees, then project IC and third mass illegal foreign workers legalised in Sabah.

-I was at the Forum on Illegal Foreign Workers organised by the Federation of Chinese Associations Sabah at Kota Kinabalu on 2nd August 2008.
Due to time constraints, I did not say a lot although I had a paper prepared for the Q&A and I just asked a question on the many nations faced with illegal immigrant workers and how many nations have imposed the levy on foreign workers? The answer was Malaysia only amongst the 20 major nations with such problem.
So I would call on the Government to review the whole concept of the levy vis-a-vis illegal and legal foreign immigrant workers as how can the nation has a policy of resolving this illegal issue with money? Yes all the foreigners should be properly registered and regularised and monitored for the well being of the people including the workers themselves. The levy and the associated costs (registration and document costs) of employing foreigners to work in Malaysia is very costly to make Malaysia especially Sabah as not competitive. The other aspect is how is the money raised in levy be utilised? The moral question here is that if illegal affairs can be bought with some money, it only goes to show that rampant official corruption is also acceptable hence I call this Governments' Rampant Excessive Exploitation and Destruction (GREED). The levy is not only adding costs to the consumers but it is unsustainable for small and surviving business and factories to have an outlay on such workers if there a number of them at the expense of the local people. The Government needs to consider incentive for the local to make the extra effort to be employed in such sectors dominated by foreigners. I think it is indeed short term thinking for a long term solution as the total costs of local workers versus foreign worker may come out to be the same and that is when we are talking of building a nation with our own people rather than relying on foreigners.
There was an issue of making Sabah the Dubai of the East as far as foreigners in the work force is concerned. I would like to know how Dubai does it with 80% foreigners in the work force. How can Sabah match that when Sabah has been at the lowest level employing all sort of questionable people? Now how did the 23 foreign girls with Sabah IC get to Seremban? So project IC still prevails nationwide.
Also the Federal Cabinet Committee has decided to launch the operation to send the illegal people home on 2nd August, while the Immigration Department has also started to register all the illegal workers in Sabah for three months without the need of going away from Sabah. I think there is an overlap here as it is not so easy to do that when there are up to a million illegal people in Sabah when most of them are illegally employed in Sabah. Whatever the consequences of such twin actions, it is likely that these people would be tempted to hide moving from Kota Kinabalu to other places and then return to Kota Kinabalu later. Imagine, if there are more than one million foreigner workers in Sabah, how much money would be needed to pay for all those levy and related costs when the local economy is largely depressed with the latest food and fuel prices upheaval. While the crime rates may go up coupled with all those critical issues in the economy vis-a-vis the labour force in Sabah and Malaysia, an easy solution is not possible with a rotten system of a few decades. The immediate approach of the undocumented people and those employers would decide to hide somehow to avoid detection by the task force, and three months can mean more hardship for the local people who depend on the illegal foreigners as their workers in their business and projects. So we need to treat this latest development as an awakening labour constraints in our midst to be addressed in proper manner.
The Immigration Department has suddenly come out with an ad hoc arrangement where foreigners already working in the state illegally can be registered without going out of the State for a period of five years. Such practice may further increase the Sabah population by several fold as these workers may bring in their wives and their children. So there is also the likelihood that in five years some of them could have a few children who would be born in Sabah. There are also cases where these foreigner workers marry the local. So Sabah already with an extraordinary population boom since 1990 including project IC dubious citizens, would face another wave of population increase in this decade as it is likely that such newly registered workers may refuse to go as you know Malaysia has been bias to the illegal people for the race and religion. When that happen, what kind of prosperity are we dreaming of when poverty is definitely worst off as we have seen this happening in Mindanao and elsewhere in the region. Whatever wealth created would be consumed by such extraordinary population and the businessmen migrating with their wealth. Simply it is bad for nation building with a very big illegal work force. The balance sheet of contribution of the foreigners would be in deficit.
Harris Salleh said there is going to be failed nation without the illegal people. Actually we are already a failed nation when the 'apartheid coupled with ethnic cleansing' for a long time prevails. With the extra people identity cards or project IC of 1-2 millions, the local already in a minority after many local people and their families have migrated with their talents and resources. These people had seen the trend of the failed nation and decided to look for greener pastures elsewhere. That was the era of prosperity when the forests were felled without any conscience and now the rich soil and land is exploited for oil palms until the land become barren and near desert. What would be left then would be millions of hungry people who are slaves in Sabah - a situation best to be avoided if we act conscientiously.
I had written a food article in 2001 and written three books on agriculture, oil palm, and water since 2004 with enough alerts at many forums and seminars, and today we have this food and fuel prices upheaval. It is only today that the illegal Chief Minister of Sabah tell people to grow more food - too late and too little- when a leader is unfit without foresight but involved with lots of corruption and abuses of power. How to get out of this rot when this is allowed to be continued?
Are we going to damage small Sabah further with an impending damaging coal power station when Sabah's sustainable population is about 2 millions? Why should we allow our fundamental ecological resources and our health be destroyed trying to generate more energy feeding the needs of 1-2 million illegal people including project IC? Joshua Y. C. Kong, Deputy President of Consumers Association of Sabah & Labuan FT.

13Friday · Post time 3-8-2008 01:55 PM

TSUNAMI OF ILLEGALS & ILLEGALITIES IN SABAH - paper for FCAS forum on 2nd August 2008
Preamble:-
1. I have come here to show what is expected of a genuine Sabahan wants to be resolved a long outstanding issues of paramount importance in the best available approaches.
I think many are aware of the real situation of the illegal people in Sabah but some pretend to ignore them and so we must address the issues fully.
2. The categories of illegal people since 1960s especially after the Jabidah Massacre in 1968:-
[I do not really know what kind of civil war (pretensious) was in the Philippines and ongoing for so long while there is no war in Indonesia and why are the Pakistanis coming to Sabah is such numbers.]
Broadly the categories of illegal people in Sabah are as follows:-
2.1. The illegal given genuine identity cards over a few  decades by our socalled local leaders unthinkable of local leaders siding with the illegal and that number has swollen to almost 2 millions including those children born in Sabah to foreign illegal parent/parents.
2.2. Those illegal without any documents of anything up to a million at times.
2.3. Those refugees given IMM13 of some 60,000 initially or later reduced to 18,000 depending who announce them and also likely to be 240,000 after three decades.  I think the Immigration Department does not have the records of such people mostly with lapsed IMM13 hence illegal people.  This group may have become dubious citizens as in 1.
My figures are supported by my paper "An Introduction to Tsunami of illegals and illegalities" delivered at UiTM in conjunction with 50 years of Malaya or 44 Malaysia.
The actual figure of the illegal people is complicated by  whoever who make those disclosure in the press and also the mobility figures provided by the Immigration Department. (EPIC of Sabah - 2nd Edition)
3 Root causes of this complex problem are due to the complicity of various parties including the Federal Government who had been an instigator and facilitator of such scenario couple with the attitude of the Governments concerned..
Amongst them are as follows:-
3.1. When there is no such prolonged civil wars in the Philippines, such people are purely economic migrants as it was the intention of UNHCR to solve the crisis of refugees within two years and within the first decade of 1970s.  Was there another conspiracy (refugees allowed in Sabah) of President Marcos after he had master minded the Jabidah Massacre after failing to get proper hearing on the claim on Sabah until 1965?
3.2 When the refugees could not be accepted by a third country, UNHCR without an invitation by the Malaysian Government gave up its effort in solving this crisis.  Malaysia is also guilty by allowing the refugees to freely roam around while the Vietnamese refugees were confined in Pulau Bidor.  Why this different treatment?
3.3 The Filipinos always insist that Sabah is part of Philippines hence they have the right to come here and the Federal Government never made any serious effort to stop such claim not only by the Manila Government but also all those pretenders and contenders of the defunct Sulu Sultanate since 1936.  Every illegal Filipino would stake such a claim to find the excuse to remain here.
3.4 The temptation of the business people to employ illegal people for the slave labour.
3.5 While Manila does not have a consular office in Sabah, the Indonesian consular office had failed to address her people illegally in Sabah as the spirit of confrontation or CRASH Malaysia still lingers on.
3.6 Manila would simply reject their paperless citizens when deported home.  So when deportation exercises were conducted a bigger number of Indonesians were deported.  But those deported would find their way back to Sabah.
3.7 The Government is held responsible for the large number of illegal in Sabah especially in the 1990s to enable UMNO to form the State Government by power grab in 1994.  Now likely dramas to show deceptive compliance of deporting illegals of some categories only.

13Friday · Post time 3-8-2008 01:58 PM

IMPLICATIONS & CONSEQUENCES OF PRESENCE OF LARGE ILLEGAL PEOPLE
4.1 Nation building
Contrary to some belief that illegal people also contribute to the nation, it is most unlikely that we can rely on that to build the nation properly for the following reasons:-
4.1.1. Economy including black one.
It is a falsehood that economy on the long term can be sustained by using the illegal people as they had run away from the devastation of their own nations to continue the rampage otherwise what is really wrong with their own nations? Most of them bring with them illiteracy, desperation, high emotional charged, a violent culture, little skills and when they do find the little 'gold' they would repatriate back to their own nations. Of course a black economy is also economy when the number of people involved is very big.
When all indicators are subject to the denomination of number of people in Sabah including the alien people, such ratios would be very adversely low when compared with national level.  This would be bad in the context of foreign and local investors.  Of course, the nation expecially the Federal Government never plan for such unprecended explosive population since 1970s.
The demand for all basic necessities like water and electricity would depend on the number of people including illegals.  Should most of the illegal of 1-2 millions are deported soon, such demand would be lesser hence why do we need 2 new power stations of 300 mw each including a coal power station urgently?
Such people in the medium and long term would consume all the little natural resources like the depleted forests and arable land in Sabah while they are subsidised by the public for the free consumption of water, electricity and cause the land to be exposed to pollution.  RM50 million is wasted again for clearing own mess.
Also the major towns in Sabah may be deserted by the local at night for fear of personal securties hence affecting the night life and night businesses for such operators depending on such businesses to cater for the tourists and local people  alike.
4.1.2 Employment
We have this endless argument of employment of illegal as against the local people.  This is sheer shortsightedness against the national, state and individual interest as over a certain period of time when their numbers reach a level of intolerance, it would be too late to reverse the impact of such undesirable influence.  While the local people may lose their job opportunities as now know, we may lose all and definitely not any chance of win-win scenario.  Even at this point in time, we can see how the favourable treatment for the illegal is seen amongst official circles despite knowing that supporting illegals can face the treason charge if the laws are properly applied.
4.1.3 Basic facilities are exhausted
We all know how the genuine locals are sidelined when seeking for such public facilities such as hospital, education, and housing.
4.1.4 Politics
4.1.5 Those who have become dubious citizens under project IC are found in the electoral rolls.  The rolls can be inflated by about 300,000 of such people.
4.1.6 Such illegal people are likely the phantom voters especially in the state general elections in 1990, 1994, 1999, 2004 and 2008.  Most of them could vote and some of them voted more than once in any general elections when they were provided with voting slips from UMNO and lost IC receipts especially in 1994 as long as such names appear in the electoral rolls.  Where in the world are voters ferried by many buses to faraway voting centres?
4.1.7 Some dubious citizens have become elected representatives possibly using questioned identity cards.  This category of people would likely increase in the near future.
4.1.8 The Sabah Constitution states that naturalised persons cannot be the Chief Minister or the Tuan Yang di Pertua Negeri and how many such people in this category had held such positions now and in the past?
4.1.9 In line with Borneonisation, how many dubious citizens have occupied such key positions now and in the past in violation of the Malaysia Agreement?
4.1.10 Social ills
How to build a prosperous nation especially a young nation when social ills aplenty are going to ground the nation?  Sabah ranks amongst the worst in all sorts of social ills and health indicators.
4.2 Quality of life (what standard?)
4.2.1 Is there any international ranking for this parameter?  If so where would Sabah rank and this would be attractive or otherwise in terms of tourism.  What do we look for when we consider this indicator?  Can we really rely on the illegal people for improvement in the quality of life and living?  Now the EU has banned seafood exports.
4.2.2 Do we have any data of the survival of these illegal in Sabah?  Do we have any data of the illegal people dying in Sabah officially and unknown to us?  Do we have the statistics of people who have died in Sabah due to the crimes of illegal people - solved and unsolved  reported cases with the Police as dealt with in the Courts?
4.3.3 The quality of life is also dependent on the manageable gradual increase of the population.
4.4. Terrorism and extremism - not new but worsening
4.4.1 This maybe a new item after 11th Sept 2001 but we have gone through that in Sabah with little reported in the mainstream.  It is not new but worsening when more such ingredients are coming together  in the context of terrorism in the region. Would the Police tell us more?
4.4.2 With the refugees and the migrants coming to Sabah in such great number of millions and many unaccounted for,  what actually have happened to them based on the official statistics of arrivals and departures with large gaps.
4.4.3 In the struggle of any major conflict not necessary in declared armed conflict, people do perish in some strange ways in the region.  With the unexplained and unusual mobility traffic of the travellers, Sabah can be deemed to be involved directly and indirectly in the following the undesirable activities such as Human trafficking, abuses of Malaysian passports, drug trafficking transit and center, arms transit, harbouring of terrorists also in transit, supplies of armed mercenaries to war zones and linkage to terror groups within the region.  As a result of all these conflicts seen or unseen, many people - illegal and local have perished for their involvement directly or indirectly through gangs.  We have to come to term with this word "ethnic cleansing" in Sabah in this inevitable conflict motivated criminally by the dubious and dead Philippines claim on Sabah and the Crash Malaysia (dormant), that a displacement of the local is evident by the population explosion of questionable foreigners in Sabah and the related deaths of both local and foreigners in Sabah and elsewhere.  Some may see it fit that Radowan Karadzic be dealt with accordingly,  we want the same to be acted upon in Sabah and Malaysia for similar types of crimes reported or otherwise.  Are not the issues of identity cards in such big number by some known people to unqualified people without proper process not criminal in nature in the rank of ethnic cleansing?  Slowly and surely, mass murders (people dying for whatever reasons - premature and abnormal) would arise unless we arrest this undesirable agenda of power grab using questionable means like foreigners as voters.  The symptoms of cancers (atrocities) are all there and the prescription are simply pushed away by people of questionable origin themselves.  The fact that my 26 Police Reports worth RM10.441 trillions largely treated as "No further Action" is obvious that anarchy and disabling terrorism prevails for hidden agenda but now known.
While some people may claim the illegals do contribute to the nation in particular Sabah, the overall situation is like a balance sheet where the liabilities seen and unseen are greater than assets of their slave labour.  How can many people so easy forget those people who have come much earlier and contribute so much so that we have once a peaceful nation in 1963?.

13Friday · Post time 3-8-2008 02:17 PM

Specific issues:-
1. 15 years of good stay is questionable for people without document and be rewarded with permanent stay or citizenship is ridiculous when they do not even have any tax records.
2. Employment of the local for lack of performance must be examined in the proper perspective rather than simply vent out on them by employing illegals - an unsustainable justification.  The root causes of choosy and unreliable local people must be identified and resolved for the nation building.  If pay is the real issue, then how do you guarantee that the dubious citizens and the approved foreign workers would not demand for more for the same type of work not in slavery scenario?
3. Immigrants of the past cannot be the basis of negotiation and dialogue for the present crop of illegals.  The Chinese like the Indians were 'invited' or 'recruited' to come to Sabah or North Borneo or Malaya.
Are these recent foreign people in the same status as the earlier arrivals in Sabah?  Obviously No.
4. The Chinese were here much earlier even at the first century AD.  The Chinese then came in greater number after 1878 as the history recorded.  Some people always want to play down the significance and want to compare those earlier migrants with those migrants after 1963.  What kind of cut off point are we to base our justification?  The official census in 1960 is evident that Chinese have more rights to be here in Sabah when the people from the Sulu islands were negligible.
5. The press may be playing its role to highlight the issues of the illegals who also have some rights.  But the lopsided impression in favour of the illegals and their 'spokesmen'  may give the wrong impression to prolong their stay in Sabah.  When CASH was trying to solve this long standing issues, we were accused as involved with politics and some people expected the Police to take action against us. There had been many supporters of illegal here in Sabah and yet they get away from any charge of treason.  There are regular claims on Sabah by the contenders and pretenders of  the successors of Sulu Sultanate while living in Sabah possibly with MyKad, and yet the authorities never consider ISA for such people.
SUGGESTION:-
Harbouring and supporting illegal is a crime and hence those in support should make proper statutory declaration rather than just use the press and other media including rumour mongering so that we may know their stand officially.
We all know the background of most of those people behind the project IC and those in favour of maintaining the illegals for their purposes - legal and illegal, and so this is tantamount or construed as 'ethnic cleansing' like what Radovan Karadzic is alleged to have done elsewhere as mass atrocities would soon materialise  in unexpected circumstances of mixed and confused developments.  Don't forget the 1986's socalled religious cum political demonstration that turned into street riots and bombing in Kota Kinabalu with alleged UMNO involvement.  Those instigators are known.
By voicing them in the press is to be considered as bad influence to encourage more of these illegal people to come in streams - or to come back again after deportation.  True Sabahans deserve true justice on their land.
There are other urgent and important issues to be addressed:-
1) High Cost of shipment for Sabah
2) The impact of food and fuel prices upheaval
3) The Malaysia Agreement as breached
4) The Petroleum Development Act 1974 Act 144 as breached.
5) The mass transport / transit systems in major towns of Sabah.
6) The Malaysian Social Contract as per Tun Dr. Mahathir

Also the major towns in Sabah may be deserted by the local at night for fear of personal securties hence affecting the night life and night businesses for such operators depending on such businesses to cater for the tourists and local people  alike. RM50 million is wasted again for clearing own mess in mass repatriation of illegals.

While some people may claim the illegals do contribute to the nation in particular Sabah, the overall situation is like a balance sheet where the liabilities seen and unseen are greater than assets of their slave labour.  How can many people so easy forget those people who have come much earlier and contribute so much so that we have once a peaceful nation in 1963?.

Dr. Mahathir Mohamad wrote:-  (Malaysia Social Contract)
7. When Japan conquered the Malay States and the colonies of the Straits Settlements, the Chinese felt insecure as the Japanese were their historical enemies.

8. Many Chinese formed and joined guerilla forces and disappeared into the jungle. When Japan surrendered the Chinese guerillas came out and seized many police stations in the interior and declared that they were the rulers of the country. They seized many people, Chinese and Malays and executed a number of them.

9. Malay villagers retaliated by killing the Chinese in the rural areas. Tension rose and a Sino-Malay war was only averted because of the arrival of British forces. But the ill feeling and animosity between the two races remained high.
<><><><><>  Please tell me whether this is the true situation? Any one read the Chin Peng's book or any other relevant books? Joshua