There was an article in a local daily recently pertaining to the issue of illegal immigrants in Sabah whereby a former chief minister requested the opposition to provide a list of all the estimated 1.7 million illegal immigrants in the state so that the BN could act. He said that as far as he was concerned, there were no illegal immigrants in his constituency.

I can only assume that this is the thinking of all the leaders in the governing coalition. These illegal immigrants which have ben given MyKads are known as Illegal Malaysian Bumiputeras (IMB) to the locals. They are a political asset for Umno at the present moment but we should remember that in the future, they might take away our children and their children's rights.

Oh yes, ten over years ago in Tawau, an IMB was appointed as a Tawau municipal councillor but was later caught having a forged identity card. That was then. It is not sure how many IMBs there are now occupying the top echelons of BN parties in Sabah or even at the federal level.

Sabahans should just give up their fight against illegal immigrants being given citizenship indiscriminately as there is no political will to address the problem, only lip service. In fact, these IMBs are already starting to move to West Malaysia. I read a recent news article whereby Umno Johor said it would recruit Sabahans who were working in Johor. I am very sure these are IMBs.

The IMBs are very hardworking, very persistent and very enterprising. Their businesses include forging identity documents, supplying drugs to locals and also supplying electricity to squatter areas

Twenty years from now there may be no more original Sabahans. The people of Sabah will compromise entirely of IMBs made up of Indonesians, Filipinos and Pakistanis.