RCI STILL THE BEST WAY TO SHED LIGHT ON SABAH MIGRANT ISSUE ?

Dompok: RCI best way to shed light on migrant issue

KOTA KINABALU: Upko hopes that the Federal Government will be open to the idea of a Royal Commission of Inquiry on Sabah’s migrant problem.

Upko president Tan Sri Bernard Dompok said it was the best way to resolve the long-standing problem and clear public doubts about the issue that has troubled the state for decades.

He said an open discussion would dispel any misgivings the public has on the manner in which the matter has been dealt with.

“I think closure of the issue would be through the formation of an inquiry to allay whatever fears or misgivings Sabahans have.

“I think we should be open to the idea,” he said when responding to Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein’s rejection of his call for a RCI following the purported coronation of businessman Datu Mohd Akjan Moh Ali as Sultan of Sulu.

Hishammuddin had stated that a RCI would not solve the illegal immigrant problem in Sabah and that the Akjan case was not related to the illegal immigrant issue.

Dompok, who is Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister, said the matter might appear unrelated but a full inquiry must be held to find out how the self-proclaimed Sultan of Sulu obtained citizenship.

Dompok noted that a previous attempt to look into the Sabah Identity Card issue via the Parliamentary Select Committee on Integrity that he chaired, failed to achieve its goals as they did not get any support from relevant ministries.

At least six police reports have been lodged in connection with Akjan’s purported claim and police have begun investigations. No arrests have been made.