'Let Sabahans decide via referendum'
Friday, 28 June, 2007 ( Source: New Sabah Times)

KOTA KINABALU : Upko Deputy President Datuk Wilfred Bumburing said the people of Sabah should be
consulted through a referendum on the plan to grant Permanent Residence (PR) status to IMM13 holders or
Filipino refugees in Sabah.

"Providing PR to a huge number of refugees is a decision that must be decided not just by the
Government but by the people at large, especially those who will be directly affected by such a
decision like Malaysians in Sabah.

"The entire cultural structure of Sabah will be affected by such a decision. The best option with
regards to this is to seek the concurrence of the people at large through a referendum.

"Only then the Government can fully exercise its democratic rights in granting PR status to a very
large number of foreigners at one time," he said, here, Wednesday.

The former Deputy Chief Minister said the State and Federal governments should exhaust all available
avenues with the Philippines in resolving the problem of refugees in Sabah.

He said the State was initially burdened with accommodating refugees who fled the conflict in the
southern Philippines in the early 1970s.

"But, now this problem has escalated into an unimaginable number of illegal immigrants, not only from
the Philippines but from other neighbouring countries," he said.

"We are also burdened with the problem of foreigners having acquired ICs through dubious means and the
number is said to be greater than the number of refugees who will supposedly be given PR status.

"The inability of the authority to permanently solve this problem has given a bad name to the ruling
Barisan Nasional Government, and by this, we don't want the State BN Government to be branded as an
uncaring government," he said.

Bumburing said of late there were statements issued by BN Federal leaders that touched on the
sensitivity of the people of Sabah and this had reflected badly on the State BN Leaders.

"And, if this goes on, controversial decisions and announcements by Federal BN leaders will be
reflected in the next general election," he said.

"Even if a referendum is not called to get the people's views on these matters, the next general
election might be regarded as a 'referendum' to determine if these statements by Federal BN Leaders are
accepted by the people at large," he said.

Meanwhile, Sabah Keadilan liaison secretary (caretaker), Kanul Gindol, said it was scandalous and wrong
to propose the Federal (authorities) act unilaterally on such sensitive issues of granting outsiders PR
status or citizenship.

"This is especially so to thousands of immigrants from a country which has yet to drop its sovereignty
claim over Sabah," he said.

"I think it is high time issues pertaining to security and sovereignty of Malaysia, in particular
Sabah, are discussed in international or regional arenas to seek international solutions to these
perennial problems of politically motivated free trans-bordering illegal immigrants and refugees," he
said.

Perhaps, Kanul said Malaysia should get the United Nations to help facilitate third countries to take
these Filipinos and Indonesians just like what was done to the thousands of Vietnamese refugees some
years ago.