State Reform Party (Star Sabah) chief Jeffrey Kitingan has warned that “true” Sabahans are in danger of being economically threatened and displaced from their homes and places of work, due to the influx of foreigners who have been given identity cards (ICs).

He claimed that Pakistanis, Indians, and other nationalities were among 229,484 non-departing Indonesians who were given identity cards “dubiously” along with 11,741 Filipinos, between 1996 and 2000.

Although there were no figures given for Pakistanis, Indians, and other nationalities, it would not be surprising if these non-departing foreigners were also issued ICs dubiously, he noted when commenting on the missing Indonesians and Filipinos who came into Sabah officially but with no records of their departure.        

Jeffrey ( right ) said the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) reported that between 1996 and 2000, there were 457,850 Indonesian arrivals but only 228,366 had departed, leaving 229,484 who chose to stay back. For Filipinos, there were 210,910 arrivals but only 199,169 departed leaving 11,741 unaccounted for.

“There are very convincing circumstantial evidence to corroborate and support the ‘findings’ that ICs were issued to most, if not all, of these overstaying Indonesians and Filipinos,” said the Bingkor state assemblyperson.

In the national census from 1970 to 2010, there was a 302 percent increase in Sabah’s population from 684,693 to 2,603,485 - an increase of 1,918,792.  

He added that for Sarawak, the increase in population was only 106 percent from 976,269 to 2,012,616 - an increase of 1,036,347.

“If the rate of increase was the same as Sarawak, Sabah’s population would only be increased by 725,775 to 1,410,468. Where did the extra 1,193,017 Sabahans come from, if not from ‘Project IC’ including those Indonesians and Filipinos who overstayed their visit?” Jeffrey asked.

In the same census, it was noted that there had been a 162 percent increase in the Kadazandusun and Murut populations while that of the Bajau, Brunei, Suluk and Iranun increased by 344 percent, probably due to Filipinos of Bajau and Suluk descents.

An overwhelming influx

Jeffrey was astonished when he first knew of the 1,552 percent increase in the Malay population from 18,362 in 1970 to 303,500 in 2000 - a phenomenal increase of 285,138.   

“This number resonates with the 229,484 non-departing Indonesians who are mainly Bugis and being Muslims, (they) would be classified as Malays,” he noted.

On the ground and all over Sabah, there had been an overwhelming influx of Indonesian Bugis population, who were now not only holding jobs as plantation or construction workers, but were muscling in on tamu (open market) grounds and taking over the places of locals, taking over native lands and farmlands, and even controlling the transportation, taxi and bus sectors.

He stressed that the influx of Pakistanis and Indian Muslims were no less menacing to the local population. Any patriotic Sabahan would be able to tell that they were seizing the opportunities of locals, particularly in retail, food, and other businesses in the rural heartlands.

“The births from these foreigners now outnumber births of locals - including those given dubious ICs - and a whole generation of foreigners will soon be available to be exploited by Umno-BN as their ‘additional fixed deposit voters’ in coming elections.  

“Along with them will be a host of social (issues) and other problems as highlighted in the RCI report,” Jeffrey noted.