2,519,629 Malaysians in Sabah
Population growth rate between 2010 and 2014 shows a sharp drop
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah experienced a reduced population increase from year 2000 to 2014. The average population increase between 1990 and 2000 was 42.84 per cent; between 2000 and 2010 it was 28.5 per cent and between 2010 and 2014, the average increase was 9.13 percent.
According to National Registration Department Director General, Datuk Sulaiman Keling during a meeting with the media following the launch of the department’s outreach programme held at Seri Mengasih yesterday, there were 2,519,629 registered Malaysians in Sabah in December 2014.
The number of registered Malaysians in Sabah in 1990 were 1,312,759, while in 2000 the figure stood at 1,832,439 and in 2010 at 2,309,692.
Hence, Sulaiman said that the allegation that there were more people in Sabah with the Malaysian nationality than in Sarawak may not ring true as there were 2,616,777 people in Sarawak with Malaysian citizenship as of December, 2014.
He also urged that the statistics provided by the National Registration Department (NRD) should not be confused with those provided by the Statistics Department.
“The population statistics rendered by the Statistics Department is inclusive of immigrants found as it focused more on socio-economy,” he said in an effort to explain why the figures presented by his department and that of the Statistics Department were different.
“The drastic population increase allegation in Sabah’s demographic record that there were five million Sabahans holding Malaysian citizenship is untrue. It is important that we understand that the demographic record statistics is produced by the Statistics Department and that this varies with the NRD (National Registration Department) record on Malaysian citizens,” he explained.
“The demographic record issued by the Statistics Department includes the overall population without considering their citizenship status … we (the NRD) are the custodian of all personal data of Malaysians,” he said.
At the same time, Sulaiman also commented on the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry on Illegal Immigrant in Sabah (RCI Sabah) which was presented on December 3, last year.
“Eight terms of reference were explained and the government has agreed to establish the permanent committee and working committee as proposed to ensure a ‘way forward’ solution,” he said.
He said that NRD welcomed the commission’s report and accepted the decisions that would be made by the government and would fully cooperate with the established committees to ensure the identification document issues in Sabah are resolved well.
“The commission has confirmed that the issuance of identity cards and citizenship to the people of Sabah by NRD officially are according to the terms, legislation and constitution of the country,” he said.
He said allegations were raised by witnesses comprising politicians, writers, journalists and members of the public during the RCI proceeding on the unsystematic issuance of identity cards between 1979 and 1995 by syndicates and irresponsible individuals.
“NRD has taken note of the matter and corrective, punitive and preventive actions have been taken,” he said.
He explained that the modus operandi in the issuance of the unsystematic identification cards by the irresponsible individuals were as follows: Abuse of the HNR10 Statutory Declaration by providing false information on ones’ birth and residency status; the issuance of identification card duplicates to ineligible candidates, hence resulting in overlapping records; and the issuance of ‘temporary identity card receipts’ to ineligible individuals.
The corrective measures undertaken by the NRD with regard to the matter had included the review and investigation of all records, as well as recalling the identity card holders that were considered irregular.
“Once the review and investigation is conducted, only those who qualified were issued with new identity cards.”
He stressed that the review process was ongoing and that until now, a total of 75,056 records were not issued with any new identity card replacement as the records were cancelled due to death or because the record holder did not present himself or herself for the inquiry or because the application was cancelled for failing to meet the requirements set.
He also stated that a total of 94 people have been arrested under the Internal Security Act 1960 (ISA) by the end of the 1990s and that 23 of them were NRD personnel.
“All the NRD personnel involved were sacked,” he said.
Preventive actions were also implemented to disallow any effort to manipulate the system, he said.
The actions undertaken included the discontinuation of the HNR10 Statutory Declaration usage as these could be manipulated by certain people, he said.
“Since March 30, 1987, every application for identification card must be accompanied by a birth certificate or a citizenship certificate,” he said.
Aside from that, the State Registration Regulations 1972 (Sabah), National Registration Regulations 1996 (Sarawak) and National Registration Regulations 1960 were repealed and coordinated under one uniform regulation throughout the country known as the National Registration Regulations 1990 in 1990.
NRD also began using the Automated Fingerprint Identification System or AFIS which addressed many efforts to swindle and produce duplicates identification cards, he said.
“Personally, I feel that this has resolved problems associated with the issuance of duplicates identity card……perhaps the system can be defeated if someone willingly chops off his or her finger and give it to someone else but even then, the chopped finger would have rotted by then.”
He added that in the context of Sabah, a special committee was created by NRD Sabah and its headquarters would consider and decide on problematic identification card applications.
“Collective decisions are made by the panel,” he said.
Additionally, the identity cards issued also come with 13 safety features, he said. Aside from that, NRD was also linked with over 260 government agencies through the Agency Link-up system (ALIS) to re-affirm a person’s identification.
Also present at the event was Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department Datuk Edward Yong.
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah experienced a reduced population increase from year 2000 to 2014. The average population increase between 1990 and 2000 was 42.84 per cent; between 2000 and 2010 it was 28.5 per cent and between 2010 and 2014, the average increase was 9.13 percent.
According to National Registration Department Director General, Datuk Sulaiman Keling during a meeting with the media following the launch of the department’s outreach programme held at Seri Mengasih yesterday, there were 2,519,629 registered Malaysians in Sabah in December 2014.
The number of registered Malaysians in Sabah in 1990 were 1,312,759, while in 2000 the figure stood at 1,832,439 and in 2010 at 2,309,692.
Hence, Sulaiman said that the allegation that there were more people in Sabah with the Malaysian nationality than in Sarawak may not ring true as there were 2,616,777 people in Sarawak with Malaysian citizenship as of December, 2014.
He also urged that the statistics provided by the National Registration Department (NRD) should not be confused with those provided by the Statistics Department.
“The population statistics rendered by the Statistics Department is inclusive of immigrants found as it focused more on socio-economy,” he said in an effort to explain why the figures presented by his department and that of the Statistics Department were different.
“The drastic population increase allegation in Sabah’s demographic record that there were five million Sabahans holding Malaysian citizenship is untrue. It is important that we understand that the demographic record statistics is produced by the Statistics Department and that this varies with the NRD (National Registration Department) record on Malaysian citizens,” he explained.
“The demographic record issued by the Statistics Department includes the overall population without considering their citizenship status … we (the NRD) are the custodian of all personal data of Malaysians,” he said.
At the same time, Sulaiman also commented on the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry on Illegal Immigrant in Sabah (RCI Sabah) which was presented on December 3, last year.
“Eight terms of reference were explained and the government has agreed to establish the permanent committee and working committee as proposed to ensure a ‘way forward’ solution,” he said.
He said that NRD welcomed the commission’s report and accepted the decisions that would be made by the government and would fully cooperate with the established committees to ensure the identification document issues in Sabah are resolved well.
“The commission has confirmed that the issuance of identity cards and citizenship to the people of Sabah by NRD officially are according to the terms, legislation and constitution of the country,” he said.
He said allegations were raised by witnesses comprising politicians, writers, journalists and members of the public during the RCI proceeding on the unsystematic issuance of identity cards between 1979 and 1995 by syndicates and irresponsible individuals.
“NRD has taken note of the matter and corrective, punitive and preventive actions have been taken,” he said.
He explained that the modus operandi in the issuance of the unsystematic identification cards by the irresponsible individuals were as follows: Abuse of the HNR10 Statutory Declaration by providing false information on ones’ birth and residency status; the issuance of identification card duplicates to ineligible candidates, hence resulting in overlapping records; and the issuance of ‘temporary identity card receipts’ to ineligible individuals.
The corrective measures undertaken by the NRD with regard to the matter had included the review and investigation of all records, as well as recalling the identity card holders that were considered irregular.
“Once the review and investigation is conducted, only those who qualified were issued with new identity cards.”
He stressed that the review process was ongoing and that until now, a total of 75,056 records were not issued with any new identity card replacement as the records were cancelled due to death or because the record holder did not present himself or herself for the inquiry or because the application was cancelled for failing to meet the requirements set.
He also stated that a total of 94 people have been arrested under the Internal Security Act 1960 (ISA) by the end of the 1990s and that 23 of them were NRD personnel.
“All the NRD personnel involved were sacked,” he said.
Preventive actions were also implemented to disallow any effort to manipulate the system, he said.
The actions undertaken included the discontinuation of the HNR10 Statutory Declaration usage as these could be manipulated by certain people, he said.
“Since March 30, 1987, every application for identification card must be accompanied by a birth certificate or a citizenship certificate,” he said.
Aside from that, the State Registration Regulations 1972 (Sabah), National Registration Regulations 1996 (Sarawak) and National Registration Regulations 1960 were repealed and coordinated under one uniform regulation throughout the country known as the National Registration Regulations 1990 in 1990.
NRD also began using the Automated Fingerprint Identification System or AFIS which addressed many efforts to swindle and produce duplicates identification cards, he said.
“Personally, I feel that this has resolved problems associated with the issuance of duplicates identity card……perhaps the system can be defeated if someone willingly chops off his or her finger and give it to someone else but even then, the chopped finger would have rotted by then.”
He added that in the context of Sabah, a special committee was created by NRD Sabah and its headquarters would consider and decide on problematic identification card applications.
“Collective decisions are made by the panel,” he said.
Additionally, the identity cards issued also come with 13 safety features, he said. Aside from that, NRD was also linked with over 260 government agencies through the Agency Link-up system (ALIS) to re-affirm a person’s identification.
Also present at the event was Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department Datuk Edward Yong.
