I refer to the Malaysiakini report on Kit Siang challenges speaker's ruling on Sabah motion .
Each child has a dream. Each one looks forward to a future with dignity. And each child seeks her identity. But for thousands of children in Sabah, they remain undocumented or stateless. They maybe a Filipino, an Indonesian or an indigenous child seeking the same dream as they grow up.
The tens of thousands of these children did not choose to be born and not be recognised. We invited their parents when there was danger to their lives as the Mindanao conflict sharpened in the 1970’s. We did the correct thing. We also invited thousands of workers from our neighbouring country, Indonesia to help us develop the oil palm plantations. It is a very promising industry for the nation. And it was right thing to maintain the economic boom.
But as the years flew by, families grew and children multiplied. The goodness in us began to disappear. Fear crept in. Will the immigrants take our land, our resources? We began to see them as ‘outsiders’. We forgot our goodness. We forgot the need. We labeled them as ‘illegal’.
Then the politicians saw their vulnerability. They used the immigrants to gain power. The party in power provided them with all kinds of documents beginning with IMM13, then with temporary identity cards and many, too, got original identity cards. Overnight, many became Malaysians.
But when Umno and the cronies gained power and had their control established, the immigrants saw the wrath of power of divide and rule. The Immigration Act was amended. Birth certificates and identity cards were taken away. And massive crackdowns organised. Project M’s objective was achieved.
Today the anger is leashed on the immigrants again. Xenophobia is reaching new heights now. Thousands of Sabahans have migrated to the Peninsular and Singapore for better jobs and pay while Sabah sinks to up to 40% in poverty. Can’t we see that they are the victims of the power struggle, of corruption, of manipulation and of greed?
The only logical way to address the issue and ensure the protection of the rights of all, locals and immigrants, is to reveal the truth. The truth can only be arrived through a royal commission.
Why then are the Sabah MPs and the federal government afraid of the truth? Will the truth implicate them? If so, let it be. This long-standing issue cannot see a postponement. It is now or never.
The Sabah MPs must have the guts to push for this independent royal commission of inquiry as thousands of lives are at stake. Parliamentarians must not appeal to xenophobic sentiments. They often do so because they think they reflect the sentiments of their electorate.
In fact Parliamentarians should not create beds of divisiveness. Instead, forge diversity and cohesiveness in Sabah through truth and justice. And let us then move to realise the dreams of each child for dignity and identity.
The writer is president, Tenaganita.
