Media statement by Dr. Hiew King Cheu in Kota Kinabalu on Tuesday, 22^nd March 2011:

New born non-Malaysian be given Red birth Certificates

Minister of Home Affairs Dato' Seri Hishammudin announced that the birth certificates for the new born of the non-Malaysian will be in the form of red color certificates and not as the previous usual light green color used by all new born irrespective of their nationality. This measure will be officially implemented by the National Registration Department (JPN) from the 1st of July, 2011through out the country.

He said this is following the recommendation made by the Special Laboratory committee set up to study the illegal immigrant problems in Sabah. He said this move is to discard the misunderstanding that every child born in Malaysia will automatically become Malaysian citizen. This is for the easy recognition and clear status of a child, and to identify the child whether he is a Malaysian citizen or not. This also stops the confusion of the parents to think their child born in Malaysia is atomically a Malaysian citizen.

The people who are foreigners still holding the green birth certificates can continue to use until the new system is in forced. They will have to change for the red color birth certificate in the JPN offices or to reapply. For those who were issued with the red birth certificates in the past, the government will verify their status and gone through the procedure to confirm that they can be citizen. Once confirmed to be eligible to be citizen, then they will be issued with the usual green birth certificate.

The measures to give red birth certificate to the foreigners born in Malaysia especially in Sabah is still not "full-proof" and can't avoid foreigners to obtain Malaysia citizenship. Now a new born child of a foreigner parent is being stamped with a chop identifying as foreigner. A slight foul-play or abuse, one can easily become Malaysian which had happened in many cases in Sabah. In Sabah many locals married with foreigners and have children whose birth certificates process problem, and the problem is still not solved.

There are also many people largely Chinese who are still holding red Mycard (PR). They have been living and even born in Sabah after 50 years. Are they righteous to be the first to be given the citizenship when compared to the other foreigners and illegal immigrants? These people should be given the top priority on the citizenship due to the fact that they had been living in Sabah for their whole lives and having children and many younger generations.

We are worry about the many foreigners whether they are legal or illegal immigrants getting our nationality and become citizens through various channels. The population explosion in Sabah is a good indication of such activity. We can see the real threats and implication towards our future generations, and we can easily become the minority in Sabah especially these people are still coming in huge number and multiplying very fast. The action proposed by the government will not be able to counter this problem or eliminate these people from becoming Malaysian. There is already hundred thousand and even million of them who had become Malaysian all over the country, and now they can vote too. Are we going to have a new Chief Minister of Sabah whose origin was from a foreign country?

* Dr Hiew King Cheu, MP for Kota Kinabalu