Let the people decide

Daily Express
Kota Kinabalu

Political leaders from the various Barisan Nasional (BN) component parties are united on one point when it comes to the question of whether the passport and/or filling up of Immigration forms (IMM14) ruling for West Malaysians entering Sabah should be abolished. That what matters most is the wishes of the people. On Wednesday, former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said the practice of having to carry passports and/or filling up forms "is really inconsistent with the idea of a single nation, a federation which is still a single nation." "I'd hope that at some stage, you will decide that we will not need the passport. It does not look good to foreigners to see us having to produce our passports when we come here (Sabah)," he said at his talk on Federal-State Relations at the Sabah Society Annual Dinner. Sabah Barisan Nasional (BN) Secretary, Datuk Karim Bujang, said the matter requires some deep "soul-searching" on the part of Sabahans and Sarawakians. He stressed that any decision on the issue would make a difference "because one of the reasons for the passport requirement stemmed from the people's sense of insecurity." "That being the case, we have to reason things out with the people so that whatever decision made, has the support of the majority of the people," he said. Saying it is fair to refer the matter to the people, Karim said it is the duty of politicians to explain to the people and convince them if it (abolition of the passport ruling) is really good for the country. "Maybe, Sabahans and Sarawakians take a longer time to understand." However, he felt we should not ram anything down the people's throats if they cannot digest it at the moment. "If the majority of the people want to do away with the passport, then we have to consider it." Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) re-affirmed its stand to let it be whatever remains of the terms and conditions of the quartet of Sabah, Sarawak, Singapore and Peninsula Malaya agreeing to form Malaysia together in 1963. "Stop breaking down any remaining terms and conditions which are meant to protect the local people and make them feel comfortable about having formed Malaysia," said its President Datuk Seri Joseph Pairin Kitingan. He said we must be sensible enough to examine the issue from the perspective of what the "marriage of Malaysia" is all about and how it was created, and from the point of view of the people of Sabah. "We must be sensitive to the grounds upon which Malaysia was made, that is, the terms and conditions for Sabah and Sarawak to form Malaysia. "What are the Pillars of Malaysia? In other words, one has to be sensitive to the people's wishes." Pairin asked: "Are we to use nationalism or nationhood as an excuse to remove the remaining terms and conditions that we agreed to for the creation of our 'marriage'? Why can't we stop talking about discarding the passport requirement?" He added that Malaysians in Sabah are wary of the floodgates being opened and depriving the local people of opportunities. The answer from Sabah Progressive Party (Sapp) President, Datuk Yong Teck Lee, was "No" until such time when the people are ready for it. He argued that the people are not ready "because if you remove any remaining restriction on free travel, it will trigger a sense of insecurity which is discomforting for some people." He firmly believed that at the moment, any remaining immigration control did not jeopardise national unity. "After all, immigration is not even a primary factor. There are bigger issues on a national scale touching on inter-community and inter-religious aspects, as well as political issues," he said. While agreeing with Dr Mahathir that there are other ways for Sabah and Sarawak to exercise control over the entry of Peninsular Malaysians to Sabah without having to use the passport, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Vice-President Datuk Lee Chuen Wan, however, said such control must be devised and acceptable to the majority of Sabahans and Sarawakians "whereby they feel comfortable that their rights are well-protected." "It is my personal view that time is required to convince the people that control mechanisms are in place and workable. "Until such a time, it would not be politically wise for anyone to champion the removal of the passport requirement," he contended. Lee believed that Dr Mahathir also felt that it is a politically sensitive issue. "Which was why, when he (Dr Mahathir) was in power, he avoided raising the passport issue. Only now as a private citizen did he venture his opinion that it doesn't look really good if we have to carry passports in order to visit Sabah or Sarawak." Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS) President Tan Sri Joseph Kurup said it is worth looking into the passport issue in order to study the political, social and economic implications. "More importantly, how do the people view this concern? We must consider the feelings of the people? "Let us listen to their viewsÉthere is no harm in listening to the people," he said. Speaking in his personal capacity, Sabah MCA Liaison Committee Chief, Datuk Edward Khoo said we must respect the views of the people in Sabah. "If the majority are not in favour of abolishing the passport requirement, then we have to accept their stand," he said, adding that the people's views are most important.