KOTA KINABALU: A local senior civil servant has been appointed director of the state National Registration Department (NRD), following complaints about alleged inefficiency and discrepancy in the issuing of MyKad.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar said state deputy director of immigration, Abdul Jaffear Henry (pix) , from Papar, would head the state NRD with immediate effect.
Jaffear's appointment came amid discontent among leaders of political parties and non-governmental organisations, prompted by reports that some locals born overseas had experienced problems applying for MyKad and citizenship.
Yong Lee Hua @ Piang Lin, 78, for instance, was issued a red MyKad (for permanent residents) when she applied for a replacement after losing her blue MyKad .
Many in the state, including Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Tan Sri Bernard Dompok, who sympathised with Yong's plight, had called for a revamp of NRD and for it to be headed by someone from Sabah.
There were also allegations that illegal immigrants had been issued MyKad through dubious means.
"Most of the NRD staff in Sabah are local people anyway. There will come a day when we are all just bangsa Malaysia, but for now, we have in place a director from Sabah who will handle all the problems here," Syed Hamid said during a visit to the state NRD office yesterday.
The state NRD is currently dealing with 30,310 applications for citizenship.
Yong, a Sino-Kadazan from Penampang, received her MyKad yesterday, along with full citizenship status.
Syed Hamid explained that the mistake made in issuing Yong the red MyKad came about because she had lost her blue MyKad twice.
"The mistake was genuine and the department was keen to rectify the issue." Syed Hamid also said the government would begin issuing temporary residence green cards to foreigners.
There were problems in the past because many people did not realise that it needed to be renewed and was not a valid travelling document. (This story reported HERE today)
Hamid's explanaton regarding Piang Lin's plight is rather confusing. Revamp not only Sabah's NRD...revamp the Home Ministry as well!
ReplyDeleteBernard Dompok is sort of emphasizing the importance of creating Bangsa Malaysia...but correct ourselves first before trying to correct other matters! The first step is to rebrand UPKO...United People of Kinabalu Organisation....an UPKO not only for the KDMs!
King Cup,
Gunung Kinabalu
... after 45 years of
ReplyDeleteMalaysia, there is still such an ocean of ignorance among West
Malaysians about Sabah and Sarawak.
Barisan Nasional is not prepared to create a truly Malaysian nation
where Sabahans and Sarawakians can fully feel that they are an
integral part of the nation.
This is why BN has become quite irrelevant, not only to Sabahans and
Sarawakians but to all Malaysian communities, whether Malays, Chinese,
Indians, Kadazan-Dusun-Muruts, Ibans, Orang Aslis.
Let Malaysians join hands as one people despite the obstacles and
baggages of BN.- Kit]
As 916 (September the 16th) – the day where the change of Federal
Government is rumoured could happen. I suddenly have the urge to say a
few words for my beloved hometown and state – Sabah, the Land below
the Wind.
I am not very good in writing, but I will try my best, to let our
voices be heard throughout the world.
Many people assume that we Sabahans are a proud bunch of people, hence
the name “Proud Sabahans”; I do admit, Sabahans generally do have a
biased perceptions towards West Malaysians, me myself included.
Although Sabah is the poorest state amongst all the 13 states in
Malaysia, it’s not the fault of the peninsular people. (It’s the fault
of the Federal Government), but the lack of understanding of West
Malaysians towards us – East Malaysians, makes me feel ashamed of
myself.
Because they - West Malaysians, they never really encountered what we
as East Malaysians faced, nor do they understand the distresses we are
in.
This is the story of one country, two different encounters, as fate
would have it.
When I first arrived in West Malaysia, west Malaysians they asked me
“Do you Sabahans really live on trees?”, while my sister was mistaken
for a bumiputra although she is a Malaysian Chinese.
We are not rude; nor we still hunt; nor we still have tiger meat for
food; neither do we sleep together with Orang Utans.
West Malaysians do not really quite know where do I come from, is it
Sarawak? Is it Sabah? Hence they always refer us as originating from
Sabah Sarawak, explanations after explanations, they still do not get
it, and hence still, they assume, we are from Sabah Sarawak. But I do
not refer those West Malaysians as coming from states like Kedah
Kelantan; neither melakasembilan nor penangperlis.
I tried my best to introduce Sabah to my West Malaysian friends; over
in Sabah we do have housing estates, markets, discos, jetties, and
even Giant hypermarkets.
But in contradiction, although I live in a house with 4 walls and a
roof, but we always have to face frequent blackouts, not to mention
frequent water disruptions and rationing also, we do not even have a
properly tarred road, compared to West Malaysia.
Once I was staying in West Malaysia, I was ticked off by my housemates
for not flushing the toilet after urinating; he mentioned that it was
very unhygienic of me.
When I heard of this, I was dumbfounded; do I need to flush every time
after I finish using the toilet?
Then I realized, West Malaysia have endless water supply 365 days a
year, 24 hours a day, 60 minutes an hour, 60 seconds per minute.
Humph!!! Well, it’s my fault, my fault for bringing all the bad habits
from Sabah to West Malaysia, in my hometown – Sandakan, Sabah, we have
to put up with frequent water disruptions, my mother do not allow me
to flush every time after I use the toilet !! We only have water
supply twice a week, which is on Monday and Thursday; this is because
my house is situated on top of a hill, for other low lying areas, they
only got water supply at the most 3-4 times a week, this is the policy
that is practiced way back in my hometown.
When I mentioned about my house toilet, you would be better prepared,
it smells and stinks like there are no tomorrow, we only flush when
the urine stench is really became unbearable, looking yellowish in
colour, if we were to flush every time we finish using the toilet,
then there will be no more water for us to bath.
Either you want to use the water to flush every time you finish using
the toilet, or use the water to bath, you decide yourself. For those
who bath and wash their hair twice a day, I really envy you guys, as
we are only allowed to wash our hair on Monday and Thursday, the days
when there are water supply coming in.
Talking about power supply in my hometown, on average in a month, we
will be in total darkness for at least 72 hours; the highest record
was no power supply for 8 hours a day for 1 whole week!! If there is
no power disruption in Sabah, then it’s not Sabah, even the
electricity company of Sabah, SESB confirms to this, where SESB stands
for SABAH EVERYDAY SURE BLACKOUT. If there were no power supply for
half an hour in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, tomorrow it
will be the top news in the media, but for us Sabahans on the other
side of Malaysia, being drenched in total darkness for few hours,
causing traffics to go haywire, no one even bothered about us.
I still remember the first time I took my friends to visit my
hometown, on the first night there was no power supply, so we sat in
front of the house, gazing at the stars and the moon on the sky. If I
were to say, standing outside my house, lifting up your finger and you
may be able to touch the moon, where the moon is so bright that you
can see your shadow, and you can even differentiate each and every
sign of the zodiac, you have to believe me, because the air in my
hometown is still unpolluted, pristine and fresh.
Anyway, with regards to the frequent disruption of water and
electricity supply in Sabah, we have become acquainted with it, for
more that 20 years that I have been living here, its still the same,
things never changed for the better, we have learn not to resist and
accept it as fate would have it.
This is us, Sabahans, always the simple, pure and innocent lot; we
just grin and bear with it.
Hence the reasons why the Federal Government always likes to bully us
Sabahans, they took away all our vast natural resources to develop
Kuala Lumpur, sold away all our valuable timber logs, in exchange for
high rise buildings in West Malaysia, sucked up Sabah’s petroleum, in
order to built north-south expressways in West Malaysia.
Not to mention using Sabah’s orang utan in exchange with China’s
panda, and have it keep in Zoo Negara in West Malaysia.
The Federal Government is so generous in donating monies to Sichuan,
but aren’t capable of building better roads for Sabahans, it’s still
the same after 45 years.
Sabah’s first flyover was recently completed, after being built for 8
years more, this make us Sabahans so happy and jumping with joy.
That’s us, easily contented.
Sabah is a poor neglected state; she would weep if she were able to do
so, each and every time, the government promised to solve the illegal
immigrants issue plaguing the state, but the matter is still unsolved
up until today, like the saying, to settle a matter by leaving it
unsettled.
The illegal immigrants in Sabah has overwhelmed the local population
at 1.7 million versus 1.5 million, and is increasing day by day, most
of these illegal immigrants are from The Philippines and Indonesia,
when last year it was briefly mentioned that The Philippines is
interested in claming back Sabah, if a referendum were to be held,
with the help of Filipinos residing in Sabah, we will be dead for
sure, Philippines will be able to take Sabah back as theirs.
Needless to say, Sabah is not only without its frequent disruption of
water and electricity supply, even job opportunities are hard to come
by, causing all the youngsters to seek jobs in West Malaysia and other
places.
Do you know that a bottle of yogurt that costs RM3.70 in West Malaysia
cost Rm5.70 in Sabah, and all the magazines and newspapers in Sabah
are more expensive if compared with West Malaysia? This is because all
the goods have to be flown over from West Malaysia, where the courier
charges will be included in the goods prices, therefore marking it up
higher, the money that we earn are taxed by the Federal Government,
these taxes that we pay are taken to develop Kuala Lumpur,
In Sabah there are still people that earn a meager RM200 per month,
even worse off than those toilet cleaners in West Malaysia.
Everytime I am back in Sabah, wherever I looked went and looked
around; I can only manage to find mostly schooling youngsters. There
is nothing much these youngsters can do for those that prefer not to
leave Sabah. Last year, a few of my friends decided that after
graduation, they will stay in Sabah, no matter what happens, at that
time I thought that they are very naïve, West Malaysia especially
Kuala Lumpur is such a nice place, what’s the reason to stay back in
Sabah? They replied in jest, “If nobody is willing to stay in Sabah,
how do we expect Sabah to stand up”, what they said make me realized
my mistakes, but what to do, none of the jobs in Sabah are suitable
for me; I have no choice but to continue working in West Malaysia.
Last month, my cousin quit his job and went back to Sabah, out of
curiosity, I asked him the reason for doing so, since the wages in
Sabah is so low, it’s not worth it, I told him. He retorted back,
saying “West Malaysia is not my home, sooner or later I will be going
back to Sabah, the place where I belong, and I surely believe there
are companies willing to employ me.” I felt ashamed, as previously I
planned to reside and have a family in West Malaysia, but what my
cousin say woke me up, although I am now residing in West Malaysia, I
should have given words of encouragement for my beloved state – Sabah.
If the land of Sabah was and is properly developed, surely it will be
amongst the top states in Malaysia, but everything was trampled on,
ruined and went the other way!!
Hence the reasons why those who stepped on the soil of Sabah will be
given an immigration slip by the Customs department, only allowing non
Sabahans to stay in Sabah for not more than 90 days.
If Sabah were not to protect herself, I dare not dread to think of the
consequences that may befall us, it will be too ghastly to look at.
Up till today, for West Malaysians, Sabah is shrouded in secrecy and
far away from their sight. No one is willing to come to Sabah, as if
it’s a different world comprising of humans of uncivilized nature, for
those youngsters who are going to be send to Sabah to undergo their
National Service, they wept like there are no tomorrow, its like they
are about to enter hell.
Is Sabah heaven or hell? Come and have a look for yourself, until
today, only tourists from Western and other countries are willing to
come to Sabah, a state once deemed to be more prosperous than Kuala
Lumpur, in search of its glorious pasts.
In West Malaysians, there are only 3 major races; in Sabah, there are
32 ethnic tribes, most West Malaysians do not know of these facts.
East Malaysia is the place where all the different races and tribes,
of different faiths and religions, live harmoniously; this, probably
West Malaysians do not know either.
In Sabah, it’s a norm for Muslims to eat in non-Muslims eateries, to
dine in Chinese seafood restaurants, without fear and prejudice of
being served with non halal foods; this is the kind of respect and
trusts we have for each other. I don’t think this can be seen in West
Malaysia, besides Kelantan, I would say.
Recently Giant hypermarkets make their presence known in Sabah; they
are trying to control the Sabah supermarket segment, indirectly trying
to control Sabah’s economy, but were rejected by Sabahans.
We in Sabah have our own newspapers; our own supermarkets, we do not
need others to come in and reap our fruits of labour, all to be
channeled back to West Malaysia!!
The country neglected East Malaysia - Sabah and Sarawak so much so
that even 16th September 1963 was not recognized as the day Malaya,
Sabah and Sarawak merged to form Malaysia. And out of nothing Malaysia
boasted that Mount Kinabalu is the pride of all Malaysians.
Mount Kinabalu is the pride of Sabahans; the biggest flower in the
world – Rafflesia is the pride of Sabahans, orang utans are also the
pride of Sabahans; but we are not proud to be Malaysians.
Last but no least, as a Sabahan, I sincerely hope and pray that after
916, Sabah can gain back what she has lost all this while, for a
better tomorrow for all Sabahans.
Hopefully the coming 16th September can be declared as the day, we
East Malaysia – Sabah, Sarawak tohether with Malaya formed Malaysia!
Dear Federal Government, please be fair to us!!
All the best Sabah!! I wish to see you grow; in the future, in the
time to come!!
A TRUE SABAHAN
Miss Rafflesia,
Gunung Kinabalu