DARI SEEDS:
PRESS STATEMENT
THE RELEASE OF THE REPORT OF ROYAL COMMISSION OF INQUIRY ON THE IMMIGRANTS IN SABAH
BY
SEEDS (CENTRE FOR SOCIETY EMPOWEREMENT AND DEMOCRATIC STUDIES)
The government should be congratulated for its bold decision in forming
the Royal Commission of Inquiry to investigate the large number of
immigrants in Sabah. This shows that the government is listening and is
willing to take proactive and tough actions to solve the issue once and
for all.
SEEDS is of the opinion that instead of delving into the past and pinning the blame on various parties, it is time for Sabahans to look to the future and to work together to address this perennial problem. SEEDS echoes the call by Minister of Urban Well Being, Housing, and Local Government, Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan, that a long-term solution is needed to solve the issue of immigration in Sabah. This has become a collective issue that all Sabahans must shoulder together.
Blaming past leaders and governments for what is happening to Sabah now will not solve the problem. What is needed is a comprehensive and innovative policy solution on the problems of immigration.
SEEDS lauds the recommendations of the RCI and wants the government to look into them seriously.
SEEDS also supports the committee led by Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan that has been tasked to study the recommendations of the RCI before planning the next course of action.
Apart from the recommendations of the RCI, SEEDS would like to propose the following to address the problem of immigrants in Sabah:
1. A large number of immigrants do not possess proper travel documents. SEEDS proposes that the Government organise a comprehensive exercise to document and monitor the movements of immigrants in Sabah. Only by documenting and regulating the movement of immigrants can the Government control the influx of immigrants into Sabah.
2. SEEDS is of the view that deporting the undocumented immigrants will not solve the problem as this measure had been carried out in the past without much success. There have been numerous studies showing that foreigners come to Sabah to escape the poverty in their home countries. In fact, Sabah needs immigrants for its growing construction and palm oil industries. This heavy reliance on foreign workers has encouraged the influx of immigrants into Sabah. However, it must be emphasised that giving proper travel document to immigrants does not mean an automatic award of - and an easy passage to – citizenship. The government must continue to tighten the procedures for the application of citizenship to foreigners.
3. As the main motivation of immigrants to migrate to Sabah is mainly economic, SEEDS proposes that a high-powered committee is set-up to re-establish the BIMB-EAGA in order to expedite economic activities in the Sulu region. Malaysia’s role in the Mindanao Peace Agreement is lauded but Sabah’s role in the economic growth of the Sulu region must be given more prominence given its close proximity with the Philippines’ territorial waters. It is time for the Government to view this seriously as the concept of “Prosper Thy Neighbor” has served the ASEAN well in terms of the sharing of economic benefits for the region’s collective prosperity.
4. Finally, and most importantly, SEEDS is of the opinion that any exercise to regulate and monitor the movements of immigrants in Sabah will be futile if Sabah’s border security is not tightened. Apart from ESSCOM, SEEDS proposes that the Government provides a special allocation to develop the border communities living along the Sabah-Philippines border. This is important as the border communities have special ties with the coastal people and islanders of the Southern Philippines. The government must include the border communities in mainstream development and nation-building programmes. They should be given a sense of responsibility to protect the Malaysian border against foreign incursion.
SEEDS is a non-Governmental think tank that is dedicated to the ideal of creating a modern, moderate and progressive society through its research and outreach programmes. SEEDS’ is headquartered at Lot 21, 1st Floor, Lorong Grace Square, Jalan Pantai Sembulan, 88100 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. For further information, please contact Dr Arnold Puyok (CEO-designate/Senior Research Fellow) at these numbers: 088-270637(telephone) or 088-256613 (facsimile).
SEEDS is of the opinion that instead of delving into the past and pinning the blame on various parties, it is time for Sabahans to look to the future and to work together to address this perennial problem. SEEDS echoes the call by Minister of Urban Well Being, Housing, and Local Government, Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan, that a long-term solution is needed to solve the issue of immigration in Sabah. This has become a collective issue that all Sabahans must shoulder together.
Blaming past leaders and governments for what is happening to Sabah now will not solve the problem. What is needed is a comprehensive and innovative policy solution on the problems of immigration.
SEEDS lauds the recommendations of the RCI and wants the government to look into them seriously.
SEEDS also supports the committee led by Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan that has been tasked to study the recommendations of the RCI before planning the next course of action.
Apart from the recommendations of the RCI, SEEDS would like to propose the following to address the problem of immigrants in Sabah:
1. A large number of immigrants do not possess proper travel documents. SEEDS proposes that the Government organise a comprehensive exercise to document and monitor the movements of immigrants in Sabah. Only by documenting and regulating the movement of immigrants can the Government control the influx of immigrants into Sabah.
2. SEEDS is of the view that deporting the undocumented immigrants will not solve the problem as this measure had been carried out in the past without much success. There have been numerous studies showing that foreigners come to Sabah to escape the poverty in their home countries. In fact, Sabah needs immigrants for its growing construction and palm oil industries. This heavy reliance on foreign workers has encouraged the influx of immigrants into Sabah. However, it must be emphasised that giving proper travel document to immigrants does not mean an automatic award of - and an easy passage to – citizenship. The government must continue to tighten the procedures for the application of citizenship to foreigners.
3. As the main motivation of immigrants to migrate to Sabah is mainly economic, SEEDS proposes that a high-powered committee is set-up to re-establish the BIMB-EAGA in order to expedite economic activities in the Sulu region. Malaysia’s role in the Mindanao Peace Agreement is lauded but Sabah’s role in the economic growth of the Sulu region must be given more prominence given its close proximity with the Philippines’ territorial waters. It is time for the Government to view this seriously as the concept of “Prosper Thy Neighbor” has served the ASEAN well in terms of the sharing of economic benefits for the region’s collective prosperity.
4. Finally, and most importantly, SEEDS is of the opinion that any exercise to regulate and monitor the movements of immigrants in Sabah will be futile if Sabah’s border security is not tightened. Apart from ESSCOM, SEEDS proposes that the Government provides a special allocation to develop the border communities living along the Sabah-Philippines border. This is important as the border communities have special ties with the coastal people and islanders of the Southern Philippines. The government must include the border communities in mainstream development and nation-building programmes. They should be given a sense of responsibility to protect the Malaysian border against foreign incursion.
SEEDS is a non-Governmental think tank that is dedicated to the ideal of creating a modern, moderate and progressive society through its research and outreach programmes. SEEDS’ is headquartered at Lot 21, 1st Floor, Lorong Grace Square, Jalan Pantai Sembulan, 88100 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. For further information, please contact Dr Arnold Puyok (CEO-designate/Senior Research Fellow) at these numbers: 088-270637(telephone) or 088-256613 (facsimile).
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