Dismay over Dr M’s statement

Posted on The Borneo Post August 10, 2012, Friday

KOTA KINABALU: Former prime minister Tun Mahathir Mohamad’s statement defending the granting of Malaysian citizenship to migrants has riled many Sabahans and caused dismay among some Barisan Nasional leaders.

Meanwhile, Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) Youth chief Datuk Jahid Jahim said the movement regretted Mahathir’s statement as the granting of Malaysian citizenship though the method mentioned by the former Prime Minister is against the Constitution and sovereign law of the country.

“If an individual is an illegal immigrant in Malaysia, it doesn’t matter how long that person has been residing in the country or how fluent he or she is in Malay, that person is not eligible to be granted Malaysian citrizenship,” he stressed.

PBS Youth, according to Jahid, strongly objected to the way Mahathir says the migrants in Sabah should be granted citizenship.

“It is totally wrong and unconstitutional as these people are illegal immigrants… we do not object to those who come to Sabah legally and apply for citizenship through the proper channel but we are against them being granted the right to be Malaysians just because they have lived here for a long time and can speak Malay fluently,” the Assistant Youth and Sport Minister said.

“What is the basis of processing a citizenship application without proper documentation? There is no country in the world that practices what Mahathir is saying because doing so would be detrimental to the future of the genuine citizens, especially to their future generation,” Jahid stressed.

According to the Tamparuli assemblyman, Mahathir’s latest statement has resulted in the younger generation thinking whether he has played any hidden role in the incredible population boom in Sabah.

Jahid was of the opinion that Mahathir should instead support the hard work under Najib’s leadership to resolve the issue of illegal immigrants not only in Sabah but also throughout the country.

Mahathir, he added, should stop issuing statements that will further hurt Sabahans who have been plagued by the issue which has been described as ‘mother of all problems’.