‘SABAHANS WAITING FOR RCI TO BE SET UP’

‘Sabahans waiting for RCI to be set up’

KOTA KINABALU July 14, 2012: Sabahans are eagerly waiting for the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to resolve the longstanding issue of illegal immigrants/project IC in the state.

“But it has been five months since the federal cabinet agreed to set up the RCI and we have yet to see any concrete action towards this,” said Senator Datuk Paul Kong Sing Chu said.

Kong said this when commenting to the reply given by Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Liew Vui Kiong to his question in Dewan Negara on Thursday.

“I had in my question asked when the chairman, its members and terms of reference (TOR) of the RCI would be announced. However, the reply given to me didn’t really answer my question. As it has been more than five months since the federal cabinet decided to form this RCI, the question in most of our minds is why until today it is yet to be formed?

“I was made to understand that all the component parties of Sabah BN had submitted their ideas on the TOR quite some time ago. As there are many more-than-qualified people who can serve as its chairman and members, the question is, why is it taking so long to finalise and make its formation a reality?” Kong asked.

Kong added that he had, in his speech during the MCA Penampang Division AGM on June 30 stressed that the RCI would be a major issue in the impending 13th general election which must be held by next year.

It is his hope that the federal government would give Sabahans a ‘big angpow’ by setting up this RCI as soon as possible so that the illegal immigrants and project IC issues can be resolved once and for all.

“With the resolution of this ‘mother of all problems’ in Sabah, I have full confidence that the people of Sabah will give BN a resounding victory in the 13th general election,” Kong said. Liew had said the chairman and members of the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to investigate problems related to illegal immigrants in Sabah would be named soon.

“The government is awaiting the green light to make the announcement as only the Yang di-Pertuan Agong can make the appointment,” he said when responding to Kong.

The setting up of the RCI was announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak last month.

Liew said members of the RCI would be made up of people with a deep understanding of Sabah’s illegal immigrant issue. The RCI’s terms of reference are now in the final state of formulation, he added.