Media Statement
By Sabah DAP Coordinator and MP for Seputeh, Teresa Kok
in Kuala Lumpur
on Tuesday, October 15, 2002

The government should seriously study the decision to confer citizenship to the Filipinos in Sabah


I am appalled by the announcement made by the Prime Minister on October 12, 2002 that the government will be more flexible to allow Filipinos to become Malaysian citizens. This announcement is completely opposite the stance taken by the government half a year ago when it launched a nationwide operation to deport illegal immigrants and migrant workers from the country.

The announcement made by Dr. Mahathir Mohamad had made many Malaysian citizens and Sabahans puzzled and confused over the stand of the government on the migrant issue. On February 26 this year, the Sabah state government and the police launched Ops Nyah II to detain and deport Filipinos who do not have proper documents to work and stay in Sabah. 8 months later, however, the government has made a 180-degree policy u-turn to allow Filipinos who have stayed in Sabah for 30 years to obtain citizenship. What surprised us is that the Prime Minister even remarked that the government had obtained the approval of the Filipino government before consulting Sabah BN political leaders and elected representatives.

If the government were to confer citizenship to Filipino migrants who have stayed in Sabah for 30 years, then the government must address the following issues with regard to citizenship status, namely:

(i) Many Chinese, Indians and Indonesians who were born before Sabah became part of Malaysia in 1963 or even before independence have been staying in Malaysia for a long time and are still holding the red identity card. Are they not more deserving of being conferred citizenship than the Filipinos who have stayed in Sabah without proper documents?

(ii) Some Indonesian Chinese were born in Sabah by their Indonesian parents. They have been staying in Sabah since birth but still do not have proper documents till now and are categorized as "stateless" in Sabah. Many of them have been given work permit in Sabah. Will the government also consider giving citizenship status to this group of people?

Filipino migrants have always been a problem in Sabah. Their presence has increased the crime rate in the state as well as resulted in the issue of phantom voters in general elections. These are the reasons why the government launched the operation to deport migrant and illegal workers throughout the country in the past few months. The policy turnaround on Filipino migrants is clearly unacceptable to many Malaysians, particularly Sabahans, as this change not only reflects the inconsistency of the government's policy on migrants in Malaysia but would also have political implications on the future on Sabah.

The government should conduct a thorough review and study on the issue of conferring citizenship to Filipino migrants. The Prime Minister should also call for an all-party meeting and public debate in and outside Parliament to seek a national consensus on the country's migrant policy. I had also submitted an emergency motion under rule 18(1) of the Dewan Rakyat Standing Orders to allow for debate on the issue.