My blood boiled when I read it in Daily Express on Tuesday, 18 November 2008. They are at it again... Project 'M' Round ?th.
Thousands register for green MyKad
(Daily Express) - Thousands of "stateless" people thronged the National Registration Department (NRD) offices at the Federal administration building here and in Tawau, Monday, after the Department announced it will start re-issuing the green MyKad.
In Tawau, the number was estimated at several thousand. Police also had to be called in for crowd control.
Applicants started lining up as early as 8am, forcing the NRD to set up desks, acting as temporary centres, outside its office to handle the large crowd showing up.
Its Public Relations Officer, Jainisah Mohd Noor, said the exercise which started last Saturday nationwide, is strictly for those with Malaysian birth certificates and existing green MyKad holders.
"They must be born in Malaysia. (Usually) in their birth certificates, there is no information about the parents or details about the parents' nationality or documentation status.
"But that does not mean green MyKad holders (or those obtaining it) have been granted citizenship status, they are only temporary residents, not Malaysians," she said, in a telephone interview from Kuala Lumpur.
Like other NRD offices nationwide, she pointed out the office here only receives applications but whether they are granted was up to their headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.
"The approval process is done on-line and centralised," Jainisah said to a question on foreigners or illegal immigrants trying to pull a fast one on NRD.
"We will not issue such documents to just anyone or foreigners."
She said the card is a form of documentation to the holders to show they are stateless but registered with the NRD and to make it easier for these people to carry out personal transactions involving money and such.
Many Sabahans are alarmed. But these alarmed ones are people on the streets, people without a voice. And some who could speak because their job is to speak on behalf of the people include just less than a handful of non-UMNO politicians.
Green MyKad move queried
(Daily Express) Both Sabah Barisan Nasional and opposition leaders Tuesday questioned the current registration of "stateless people" at National Registration Department offices statewide that would enable them to obtain the green MyKad.
They feared that the document would end up not in the hands of "stateless" locals in the interior but to foreigners who may be armed with birth certs issued by hospitals in Sabah.
They said the Federal Government's decision to issue the green MyKad should have been explained fully to the people before the NRD went ahead.
Already IMM13 holders and illegal immigrants with children born in the State are treating it as an opportunity to make their presence in the State easier and trouble free, said Moyog Assemblyman, Donald Mojuntin.
"We can gauge this by their numbers congesting the NRD offices here and in Tawau," he said on the sidelines of the State Budget sitting, Tuesday.
The Daily Express reported that thousands of "stateless" people had thronged the NRD offices at both places, some as early as 6am, since the weekend after the department announced it will start re-issuing the green MyKad.
It is understood that holders of the Green MyKad are allowed to work without requiring a permit and the card is valid for five years. If they are found to be involved in criminal activities during this period, the document would be revoked. A birth certificate is necessary for the registration.
"I would have thought the ultimate purpose of the issuance of the green MyKad is to ease the problem of genuine Malaysians who have trouble getting their citizenship due to the fact that their parents did not register their birth. This is due to many factors such as geographical and lack of knowledge on the need for such an important document. I believe this problem is prevalent in Sabah, especially in areas like Sindumin, Paitan and Pensiangan," said Donald, who is also State Assistant Minister of Resource Development and Information Technology.
He said even in Penampang, which can be regarded as a suburban area, he had received, in his capacity as Chairman of the Upko Citizenship and Security Bureau, a number of cases involving "anak watan" (native) Sabah who have no birth certificate and, therefore, not citizens of Malaysia.
This birth certificate problem is real and needs a focused effort to sort out, he said, adding the issuance of the green MyKad should be prioritised to locals without birth certificates who are waiting for their late registration of birth to be approved and, subsequently, would be waiting for their citizenship application to be considered.
"What we don't want is this exercise further aggravating the perception among the genuine Sabah populace that it is easier for illegals to obtain identity documents than for locals to do so," he said.
It angers me more. Where are the people Sabahans voted for to represent them, to voice their concerns. Only UPKO, and only minows at that, seem concerned. Where are the PBS bigwig politicians? What happened to Pairin, Dr Maximus, Dr Yee? Cat got your tongue? And, more significantly, why are the UMNO politicians in Sabah so, so deafeningly silent on the matter???! Are you UMNO so-called leaders not concerned that the illegal immigrants are overtaking our people? Or are you just too busy enriching yourselves and your cronies? Yes, we know who you are.
Just mentioned NRD, MyKad and Tawau in one breathe, and any genuine Sabahan would cringe in fear. Fear for their future, fear for their children and their children's future. Tawau is the haven, the gateway for the illegal immigrants into Sabah. The NRD, the tool of UMNO, is reopening the floodgates again for illegal immigrants to become Malaysian citizens. Put them together, and we have a lethal combination for a permanent UMNO chokehold on Sabah because these illegals form the bulk of the present and future voters of UMNO. These are the very people who will ensure that UMNO and ketuanan Melayu will hold on to power and rule Sabah and Malaysia forever! The non-muslim indigenous will be overrun, overtaken and replaced by these illegals in every aspect: social, economic and political.
And what can Sabahans do? Nothing. Just watch in fear. Watch as your future evaporates. Watch as your children's future goes down the drain into a bottomless pit. Sabahans will become beggars in their own country. And there's nothing much Sabahans can do. Because of our own stupidity, the stupidity of the founders of Malaysia, the stupidity of Sabah's so-called pioneer politicians, we have come to this. The 20 points in the Malaysia Agreement didn't and couldn't protect us. Sabahans, because of our own political naivety and stupidity, we allowed this beautiful land below the wind to be raped and plundered by UMNO. UMNO is allowing the illegals to overtake us. UMNO is allowing our future and out children's future to be stolen from us.
Who should we blame? Nobody but us and those earliest kampung brand politicians who didn't brave it out like Mr Lee Kwan Yu of Singapore. Then, because of our own political stupidity, we allowed UMNO to gain a foothold in Sabah. So now, nothing much we can do but just watch and weep. Weep for our children's future gone forever from this once beautiful land of our forefathers.
Its disgruntled ex-deputy president Raymond Tan (left) claimed on Saturday that he had been instrumental in preventing the arrest of party president Yong Teck Lee in June in relation to allegations of corruption.
in June.
“This is an admission by a BN deputy chief minister that the prime minister can interfere with ACA work,” Chong said in a statement issued yesterday.
