12th August, 2012
Najib (seated 2nd left), flanked by Musa (left) and other Sabah BN leaders speaking to reporters yesterday
KOTA KINABALU: Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in announcing the details and terms of reference (TOR) on the setting up of the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on illegal immigrants in Sabah here yesterday said the commission would be given six months to complete its investigation on the presence of illegal immigrants in the state.
The Prime Minister said the six-month period would take effect beginning from the date the instrument of appointments were issued to the RCI chairman and panel members.
And, he also said the investigation report would be submitted to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
The RCI will be chaired by former Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Tan Sri Steve Shim Lip Kiong while Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry secretary-general Datuk Saripuddin Kasim has been appointed secretary.
The RCI will have four commissioners – namely former Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Kamaruzaman Ampon, former Sabah Attorney-General Tan Sri Herman Luping, former Sabah State Secretary Datuk K.Y Mustafa and Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation deputy chairman, Datuk Henry Chin Poy Wu.
“The federal government’s proposal to set up the commission under the Commissions of Inquiry Act 1950 had received the consent of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong,” he told reporters after a meeting with Sabah Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders at the Umno Building near here.
Also present were Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Haji Aman who is also Sabah BN and Umno chief as well as other state BN component party leaders.
The focus of the inquiry:
- to investigate the number of immigrants in Sabah issued with identity cards or citizenship
- to determine whether the issuance of the blue identity cards or citizenship to the immigrants was made based on the law.
- To probe also probe whether those who obtained the blue identity cards or temporary identification receipts (blue) or citizenship illegally were registered in the electoral tolls
Apart from that, the Prime Minister said the RCI would also investigate whether the relevant authorities had taken any action or made efforts to improve standard operating procedures, methods and regulations to avoid non-uniformity with the law in regard to the matter.
He said further investigation was also needed in matters pertaining to the standard operating procedures, methods and regulations on the issuance of the blue identity cards or citizenship to immigrants in Sabah by taking into accountinternational standard and norms used in Malaysia.
Najib said the social implications on the people of Sabah would also be probed.
And, the Prime Minister also said the setting up of the RCI proved the commitment of the federal government to deal with issues relating to illegal immigrants.
He hoped the people of Sabah would benefit from the setting up of the RCI and to support the government in finding the best strategies and approaches to address the related problems.
Based on the statistics disclosed during a recent Parliament sitting, Sabah’s population rose from 651,304 in 1970 to 929,299 a decade later.
And in the next 20 years after that, the state’s population went up to 1.5 million and 2,468,246 by year 2000.