Every good citizen adds to the strength of a nation.
—– Gordon B Hinckley, US religious leader
HOME Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin did not have it easy this past week.
As a politician, he is not particularly popular with the public at large and as a minister, he has his share of run-ins with cabinet colleagues. That he was an UMNO defector who crossed over to Bersatu after GE14 did not endear him to UMNO diehards in the government.
On Feb 7, Hamzah was ticked off by what has been described as his recent insulting inference of a foreign dignitary’s unfamiliarity with ongoing bilateral negotiations.
A journalist, writing in a news portal, told Hamzah that a public apology was in order as “his rude manner in response to Indonesian Envoy to Malaysia Hermono’s statement was very undiplomatic”.
The envoy had earlier expressed his disappointment on the stalemate in the Malaysia/Indonesia negotiations on the hiring of Indonesian domestic workers.
The tit-for-tat on the matter continues as this article goes to print and the many issues surrounding the workers’ recruitment MoUs can expect to go long haul because of the involvement of too many government agencies and private parties.
Oh yes, by now, all of us who bother to take a closer look into the state of affairs surrounding foreign workers and illegal migrants only know too well that red tape and corruption in officialdom are the key obstacles to any resolution to such issues.
After the Indonesian domestic workers’ problem, Hamzah was also taken to task by Sabah leaders for his purported intention to consider providing identity cards to foreign nationals in Sabah.
Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan did not mince his words on the issue: “Why should foreigners be given special treatment (when) they break our immigration laws and commit crimes by illegally entering our country?
“Giving them identification documents will not prevent future problems. Nor will it guarantee these people will not commit the same crime again. It does not solve anything,” Jeffrey said,
Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan, a former Sabah chief minister and Jeffrey’s elder brother, also weighed in on the sensitive migrant issue.
“What the minister (Hamzah) announced and advocated not only has created fear and uncertainty in Sabah but he seems to be deliberately going against the spirit of our Constitution and our immigration laws”.
Pairin, who is the Huguan Siou, or paramount leader of the KDM community, said the proposal went against common sense and the interests of genuine and law-abiding Malaysian citizens.
He urged the government to reduce misunderstanding and misinformation over the proposal.
“Do not give the impression that we are abandoning our own citizens. We have immigration laws under which no foreign people can enter or be present in this country without valid immigration papers, especially valid passports. Those caught without valid documents must be deported”, Pairin asserted.
The Kitingan brothers are respected political figures in Sabah. The brothers’ politics may differ from time to time but their struggles for Sabah and its people have been consistent. That credit is due to the Kitingan siblings and family.
Indeed, the brothers should know how Kuala Lumpur, former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in particular, had seized power from Pairin’s PBS government in the early 90s with his (Dr Mahathir’s) desperate and irresponsible ‘Project IC’.
Projek IC is a term used to describe the alleged systematic granting of citizenship to migrants by giving them identification cards in the 1990s. The Kitingan brothers knew that electoral demographics were never the same again in Sabah after Project IC.
I am not surprised that they have spoken up so strongly against Hamzah’s purported decision to give illegals an easier ride in Sabah. They are right. The laws of the land must be upheld at all costs.
It’s good that on this citizenship/migrant issue, Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor was quick to step up with an explanation to the Kitingan’s voices of disagreement and displeasure.
The chief minister clarified that the document mentioned by Hamzah was actually a proposed kad warga asing (foreigner’s card) on which the Sabah government has yet to make a decision.
The identity card would not give migrants citizenship or permanent resident status, but would allow foreign nationals to work in Malaysia legally and their children to attend school, he added.
Whatever the correct version might be, I think it is important for Putrajaya to show the same humanitarian compassion for stateless Sabahans and issue them with ICs so that they can be citizens in their own country.
This citizenship matter is one in which we must take care of our own people first, not foreigners. Let’s get our priorities right, please!
The views expressed here are those of the columnist and do not necessarily represent the views of New Sarawak Tribune.
