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73,000 Filipinos in Sabah just tip of the iceberg
Published:  Jan 15, 2013 9:12 AM
Updated: 1:31 PM

YOURSAY 'They expect the local Sabahans to believe there are only 73,000 Filipinos? What about the Indonesians?'

Berjaya gov't settled 73k Filipinos in Sabah

your say Disbeliever: Hypothetically, if the royal commission of inquiry (RCI) on immigrants in Sabah determines that a few hundred thousand (or perhaps millions) were given Malaysian citizenship fraudulently, what is the BN government or the Pakatan Rakyat government (if the latter comes into power) going to do about it?

These Filipinos (and the millions of Indonesians) are not a catch of fish which could be thrown back into the sea.

This Project M (allegedly the brainchild of Dr Mahathir Mohamad) has set a situation that is irrecoverable. I would like to believe that perhaps the placement of these foreigners was on humanitarian grounds but there is more to it than meets the eye.

It is common knowledge that Project M was to guarantee that the BN government would remain in power indefinitely.

This project was about "cheating" to win at the ballot box. But what Dr M and the BN government do not realise is that man can only propose but God disposes.

The people have spoken up at the KL112 and history is to be created soon.

Kelate: Only 73,000? How then did the balance of a few hundred thousand or perhaps millions who have settled down with MyKads come about? Are their MyKads fake or paid for, or favours given to get them?

Why set the condition that they must be Muslim when Sabah has not made Islam its official religion?

My opinion: There is an element of mala fide both at the state and federal level leadership which disregards the fact that Islam is not the official state religion.

It's a sad day for the people of Sabah - to be sold out by those they trusted.

LiarsSlaughter: But all these activities were secretly executed and the citizens had totally no say on the matter and were in the dark until now.

The Umno government is doing as it wishes. It must be dethroned before more damage is done.

Azizan: This RCI is just eyewash for the Malaysian public. At the end of the day, the outcome will be: Procedure was followed by all and nothing wrong happened.

We know the end result, so RCI, take your time.

Cocomomo: These people should be tracked down and excluded from the electoral roll of eligible voters.

Borg Kinaulu: One can easily tell from the comments here, many have absolutely no idea what the reality on the ground in Sabah is like.

If you harbour any dreams that Project M is about to be undone, you underestimate the power and cunning of evil.

In fact those politicians, on all sides, who asked for the RCI, only did so to gain brownie points with the Sabah voters.

The best outcome we can hope for is that the truth will be known and history will be correctly documented. However, to expect the situation to be undone is unrealistic.

1Mockery: This means nothing in the coming election. There is no way to flush them out of the electoral roll due to insufficient time.

Enlightened: Send back these people. They should not be our problem. We are not a rich and developed country. Over 70 percent of Malaysians are poor and the government does nothing to help them.

Charity begins at home. I don't want them to benefit from my tax money.

Bluemountains: As long as they do not have a Malaysian birth certificate to show, they should be sent back to where they came from.

The RCI must do a honest and thorough job and not allow any non-bona fide persons to be registered as citizens and voters. The RCI must also recommend that persons who were involved in fraudulently registering illegal immigrants as voters be punished in accordance with existing laws.

Gunner: "To date, he said, the department still has a record of all their information, including photographs."

As explained by Abdul Jaafar Alip (chief of Settlement Unit within the Chief Minister's Department), the name list and the photographs of the 73,000 Filipinos can be easily obtained.

Hopefully, those documents have not been destroyed. RCI must ensure they are safe.

RA 1: The Moro people has been moving in and out of Sabah for generations. Thus Sabah is also their home as Sabah was part of the Sulu Sultanate for hundred of years.

They should be given permanent residency, and later if they fulfilled all the conditions, be given citizenship.

Anonymous_3e86: They expect the local Sabahans to believe there are only 73,000 Filipinos? What about the Indonesians?

The local Sabahans aren't blind. It doesn't take much to differentiate who's foreign or not.

Anonymous #33877536: There were 73,000 illegals between 1970 and 1984. But if you include their children (those born in Sabah later), the number would have doubled or tripled.

RCI, make sure the accounting is done correctly. No window dressing please.

Fair Play: I suppose this is only the tip of the iceberg. If ever Pakatan come to power, no doubt the rakyat would want a full blown RCI.

12345: Many foreign spouses of Malaysians stay dutifully in Malaysia for years without permanent resident status, but one word from BN and more than 73,000 Filipinos become Malaysians.

Sabah RCI venue evacuated over bomb scare

Abasir: It is the responsibility of the police to ensure that the commission is able to complete its investigation without disruption. That is the least it can do for the privilege of appending the word ‘royal' to its name.

Those guilty of subverting the security of the country by the improper issuance of identification cards have the motive to stop the RCI. The rakyat knows who they are.

Mr KJ John: I hope the federal police can ensure that they secure the venue of the public hearing and allow the RCI to complete its job; it needs to be done before the GE.

CiViC: Seriously, can they be any more obvious? If there's one party to gain from the disruption of the RCI, it is BN. Who else would do such a thing?


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