PORHAM’S ‘PROVOCATIVE’ STATEMENTS INCITING CONFLICTS – YAYASAN ISLAM SABAH

Porham’s ‘provocative’ statements inciting conflicts – Yayasan Islam Sabah

KOTA KINABALU May 23, 2012: Yayasan Islam Sabah has expressed great concern over the statements made from time to time by Proham over the last few days, claiming among other things that there are more foreigners as citizens in Sabah than the Sabahans.

Its chairman Tan Sri Harris Salleh said in a statement yesterday that Proham also asserted “UMNO leaders would be kicked out by the foreigners; that it doubted the sincerity of the Federal Government appointing members of the Royal Commission of Inquiry, and lastly which is very serious allegations that the Federal Government is giving citizenship and identity cards to illegal immigrants.

“All these allegations and accusations are provocative statements, especially when the facts given are half truth and worse of all when presented by Proham members who are persons of high standing in the society,” he said.

Harris said the statements are also directed at the descendants of Malay stock who happen to be majority Muslims.

“Therefore, their statements are agitating racial and religious conflicts,” he said.

According to him, Proham members know fully well that there is a big difference between population and citizenship, where population means to be anybody including foreigners residing on Sabah soil during the census days.

“By whatever calculations Sabah’s foreign populations are not more than Sabahans. The Colonial census in 1960 stated the population of Sabah was 460,000. It has been 50 years and compounded this at an annual increment rate of 3% and up to 2010 should be more than 2 million.

“Therefore the claim that foreigners will take over Sabah is a far fetch statement and provoking by the so called experts and intellectuals,” he said.

“Surely all figures can be worked out exactly. There are many mathematicians around Kota Kinabalu itself,” he said.

Harris contended that the danger of such statement that foreigners will take over and kick out Sabah UMNO leaders is that in the first place it is creating fears among the UMNO leaders.

“Why only singled out UMNO – a Malay and Muslim party and not Kadazan leaders as well. However, those making such statement must remember since it looks like racial and religious, even if ever the foreigners are taking over Sabah, they are the same Malays stock – from the Malay Archipelago and the first to be kicked out are the non-Malay leaders.

“It is not understood why Suhakam supposed to be a fair and just organization only singled out UMNO-Malays leaders not other parties and non-Malay leaders.

It is worth reminding those who self glorified that Sabah had already been taken over by “foreigners” since 100 to 200 years ago.

“The only Sabahans as recorded are to be the interior people – the Murut and the Rungus. Therefore who are really foreigners and who are not?.”

Harris also noted that Proham members have also called on the Royal Commission of Inquiry to summons anybody to give evidences and it is also claimed that their evidences at the Commission will be immune and not subject to legal action.

“This is very dangerous. Everybody either on their own interests; party interests; racial and religious interests will lie for the sake of getting credit and publicity.

“Knowing that any evidence given at the inquiry must be supported by evidences – no one can simply say and make allegation against the Federal Government or to any individual,” he said.

Harris also described as strange “these experts called upon the government to be transparent when appointed members of the Commission.

“The Commission is an open inquiry – hopefully it can be televised just like the Indonesian Corruption Trials so that we will see any members of the commission who can twist the evidences and findings.

“It has been said time and time again that the best for Proham members who seem to have evidences of criminal wrongdoings is to apply for a private criminal prosecution and prosecute those people who were allegedly issuing identity cards to illegals.

“This is faster and easier. Fight in the open court rather than hiding behind a Royal Commission,” he said.