MCPX

“But now it is no longer done. That is where the loophole is ... this is where people started taking advantage of the loose administration.”

The MP decried the situation as ironic where locals are given permanent resident status if there is a slight discrepancy or if even minor details are missing, while illegal immigrants get MyKad “quite easily” through the “loopholes” in the law.

Majimbun’s bureau is collating all the information the party has since gathered to spearhead a public campaign for the royal commission to be set up.

The public campaign will form part of a roadshow the party plans, to explain its decision to pull out from the ruling Barisan Nasional on Sept 17, citing numerous grievances besides expressing no confidence in Abdullah.

Cases in point

Majimbun highlighted some pertinent facts and figures the bureau has collated in recent days:

1) The case of Filipino, Jerom Maguil, who was issued MyKad 5609030-12-5739 (old IC No: H0540992) under the name of Jerom Majimbon and staying in Eric Majimbun’s village in Inanam, Kampung Pomotodon. Inanam is in the outlying regions of greater Kota Kinabalu.

The case file includes a letter that Eric wrote to the Home Ministry secretary-general on Oct 4 last year on the case, with copies to the NRD in Kuala Lumpur and the state NRD;  the reply from the Home Ministry in Parliament confirming that Jerom Majimbon a.k.a Jerom Maguil was not entitled to the MyKad he was holding.

The fact remains the MyKad has not been withdrawn, neither has Majimbon been deported. There was no reply to the Oct 4 letter;

2) The history of statements from residents in Kampong Pomotodon bringing the presence of Jerom Majimbon a.k.a. Jerom Maguil to  MP Eric Majimbun’s attention;

3) The case file of a Sino-Dusun, Thien Kau Pah B Kian Kim, 60, born and bred in Kampung Melaka, Jalan Kionsom, Inanam, Kota Kinabalu and issued a MyPR and not the MyKad to which he is entitled when he had to change his old blue IC. His appeals were not entertained;

4) The state NRD replacing the MyKad of a senior citizen, Yong Lee Hua @ Piang Lin, 78, a native, with a MyPR (permanent resident status) after she lost her MyKad to a picket pocket on Feb 12 last year at a supermarket in Penampang Baru, an outlying region of Kota Kinabalu, on the grounds that “senior citizens who lose their MyKads are given the MyPR as replacement”;

5) Some cases of passport-holding foreigners from Philippines and Indonesia who have one or two of their children becoming Malaysian citizens although their other children are not citizens;

6) 65,000 Filipino refugees were issued the IMM13 refugee documents in the 1970s, according to the federal government. More recently, the federal government cited the same figures for 2008 raising various questions on the subject: how many have been given citizenship, permanent residence and bumiputera status?

7) The discrepancy in the percentage increase between Kadazan, Dusun, Murut on the one hand and other Bumiputera between 1970 and 2000 i.e. 236 per cent and 631 per cent respectively;

8) The problem of children of inter-marriages being classified as sino-natives and not as natives; and

9) The discrepancies in the population increase between 1970 to 2000 in Sabah, Sarawak and Malaysia: 10,439,430 to 22,202,614 or up by 113 percent in Malaysia; 976,269 to 2,012,616 or up by 106 percent  in Sarawak; and 636,431 to 2,449,389 or up by 285 percent in Sabah.

“The situation we are in right now calls for a change (in attitude) in government,” said Majimbun.

“We are already being marginalised in all aspects. What will happen to our future generations? People should not simply say that we are touching on a sensitive issue. We are talking about something that concerns the future of our children and the future generations.”

Majimbun pledged that all information gathered by his bureau would be brought to the attention of the federal and state governments “to let them know and take these matters seriously”.