No amendments were made to the royal commission of inquiry on immigrants of Sabah report, RCI secretary Saripuddin Kasim insisted.

Suspicions were raised because the 376-page report was only released today about six months after it was presented to the cabinet and with only a 199-word recommendation.

"Not a single dot has been changed," Saripuddin told journalists at the report launch in Kota Kinabalu.

When asked about the six months wait, he said he only followed the cabinet's instructions.

The report is only for sale in hard copy starting tomorrow and will not be available online or in digital format to minimise risk of it being doctored, he said.

 

Earlier DAP's Gelang Patah MP Lim Kit Siang had questioned why the report is not for sale immediately or available online.

“Apparently, our chief secretary never heard of simultaneously release in era of IT. What a shame! Is the Report of RCIIS available online?” Lim tweeted.

The RCI was unveiled by Chief Secretary Ali Hamsa ( left ), who said that the commission had considered three recommendations made by witnesses.

However, it could not support the call for the government to recall all identity cards obtained through illegal means and to issue a “Sabah IC”, due to logistical issues.

This was because there were no implementation methods proposed by the witnesses, Ali said.

The RCI instead recommended the formation of a permanent committee on foreigners in Sabah, which will be assisted by a management committee on foreigners.

The government has agreed to this committee, which will be chaired by the Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman and Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, with other members yet to be determined.

It will also form a working committee chaired by Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Joseph Pairin Kitingan to look into issues raised by the RCI.

AG: No more false tales

Speaking to reporters after the press conference, Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail said the report puts to rest the citizenship for-votes issue claims which have long haunted Sabahans.

The report said that citizenships were obtained illegally through syndicates with financial, and not political motives.

It also noted that some of those who obtained citizenship illegally anytime between 1963 to 2013 had registered as voters.

“This is a day everybody should be happy about. People can no longer make false tales, with this guy saying this and this guy saying that.

“Here is an independent body that has done its research and told the truth. Read the report and make up your mind,” Abdul Gani ( right ), a Sabahan, said.

In its report postscript, the RCI said that the problem of immigrants in Sabah can only be solved through political will.

“All it takes is the political will. There is a need to take bold and decisive steps for an integrated, comprehensive, and sustained policy of action,” it said.

“That, of course, is the prerogative of the government and the authorities. It is not a matter within the remit of this RCI,” it added.

Meanwhile, it also said that the RCI is not the “be all, end all” to solve the illegal immigrant problems in the state.

“We can only inquire, make findings and thereafter present recommendations,” he said.

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