Legalising illegal immigrants in Sabah
Come August and Malaysia will see another major exercise deporting illegal immigrants from Sabah to their country of origin. This will cost the government RM50 million. Many wonder if this exercise will effectively resolve or reduce their numbers in the Land below the Wind. Malaysia should also see another major exercise: meaningful articulation from the Church community on this matter.
Strong voices against their presence were heard before and now another Sabah-based political party is raising it again. We must affirm that they represent the concerns of their supporters and majority voices of Sabahans. The fear that all illegal immigrants will one day be given citizenship worries the general public. So too the stereotyping that they are the cause of all evils and vices. Another fear is that they will one day obtained citizenship and outnumbered the local population and become rulers of the State. It reminds me of the Old Testament story of the Egyptians who were so scared that the Jews in their land became so numerous and outnumbered them. They subjected the Jews to all kinds of sufferings including the murder of all newly born males.
The anxiety towards their presence is a never ending story. These are some of the pertinent questions being asked.
How long have they overstayed in Sabah? Some statistics put the non-citizens in Sabah (including Labuan) to stand at 800,000 out of 3.149 million. There is one illegal immigrant in every 4 persons in Sabah or 25% of the population. There are 2.360 million Malaysian citizens in Sabah. The population surge is being questioned from every angle.
How many foreigners now possess Mykad? The Home Ministry stated that from year 2004 to 2008, there were 562 cases of fake ICs detected in Malaysia. 263 cases (under National Registration Department headquarters), 59 in Melaka, 32 in Kuala Lumpur, 26 (Perak), 21 (Selangor), four in Kelantan and one in Terengganu. Another 156 cases were described as being under police action. Sabah is very clean as there are no such cases in the last four years. However, many parties ask whether this scenario is true or not, nobody knows except the Government. If it is true that there were no cases of people being caught in Sabah for possession of fake ICs, why have all the local newspapers been publishing names of persons who had been convicted for possession of fake ICs (MyKad) in Sabah?
Now the Federal Government has taken this issue on board again and what this means is that by August 2008 Malaysians will begin to witness another round of mass deportation exercises for foreigners without valid documents. I have many friends who asked my opinion on this issue. I guess there are mixed reactions and positions of the church towards this policy. We can conveniently remove ourselves from this issue but what if those people detained, caned and deported are actually the faithful flocks, relatives, good friends, school mates, work mates, husband, wife, children, etc? In other words, this exercise will affect everybody including the Christian community one way or another.
My basic premise in responding to this deportation exercise is to first pose the question: is it sinful to eke out a living in a faraway land that provides hope and opportunities? I would not imagine that their sole intention upon arrival here was to create problems to this country or rob locals out of their jobs. They came because they knew this country is full of “milk and honey” and here they can build roofs over their heads and to chart a better future for themselves and their loved ones.
There are identified two major groups of illegal immigrants in Sabah, obviously. One came from mainly one part of a neighbouring country which was then caught in an unstable political climate. In order to free themselves from such brutal conditions many fled that part of the country and settled in Sabah. In genuine cases they were issued IMM13 with refugee status while others came in legally but overstayed, and yet others crossed the Sulu Seas and settled illegally. The other main group comprises those from within Borneo who sojourned northwards into Sabah to claim the promise of a better life; some even came before Malaysia was born. They all came in and out easily because the border is porous and the patrol system was then and now ineffective. This is admitted by the Sabah State Immigration Director who has gone on record saying that the practice of caning to deter the influx of illegals into the State does not work. His statement reveals the very truth that our borders are not well guarded and managed. Some illegal immigrants caught returning to Sabah were those who had been caned and deported as many as seven times. This clearly indicated there were loopholes or flaws in the present system and law including the 3+1+1 formula. This is compounded further by the remarks of the Deputy Director of the National Security Council who rightly or wrongly blamed the presence of a large number of illegal immigrants in Sabah on local employers who prefer to hire illegals than locals. Another person disputed him by citing an allegation that there is too much red-tape in hiring legal foreign workers – so we must know lah what will happen.
Earning a living is one’s basic responsibility. The apostle Paul says one who is lazy shall not eat. Therefore, traveling abroad where one can make a decent living is a respectable and time honoured quality of mankind. We all are sojourners so to speak. Some have successfully made the journey to a faraway land and prosper there. Some of us just cannot take the step of faith. Likewise, foreigners came into this country to make a living and some are unfortunately caught in a myriad of complications such as overstaying illegally and flouting the laws of the land. Illegal immigration is a global phenomenon and in most cases caused not by chance but choice. It is a quest for survival and not merely for the pursuit of a better lifestyle. So deportation also poses the issue of human rights to the host country.
On the other hand, these people should respect the laws of the land. Regretfully, it is in this area that Sabahans are mad at illegal immigrants and feel at a loss because most have already stereotyped them (the illegal immigrants) to be the source of all evil and vice and yet no effective solution seems to come by. Therefore, they demand a quick fix by flushing them out. However, I must quickly qualify my statement - it is a grave mistake to equate illegal immigrants with every evil and vice because the same evil and vice can be committed by any citizen of any country, including Malaysians in Sabah. Everyone ought to respect the laws of the land.
The Bible teaches about caring for the sojourners, the gentiles, strangers among us. Does it not include illegal immigrants as well? (Editor's note: Amongst advocates, they are referred to as "undocumented immigrants," and is another way of looking at them.) In so doing we maybe are ministering to angels. Jesus puts it in a positive note: “ …do to others what you like others do to you”. I know that churches in Sabah are at the forefront in this area but it is precisely the reason we should articulate this issue deeper. We cannot avoid brushing shoulders with illegal immigrants because they have familiar faces. Among those deported might be our relatives due to mixed marriages that had happened as far back to 20 – 30 years ago. I repeat: what should we do if those people detained, caned and deported are actually the faithful flocks, relatives, good friends, school mates, workmates, husband, wife, children, etc? Those born and raised here will find their “homeland” so different and alien so much so they become “refugees” and “illegal immigrants” in their own “country”. These issues are extremely important to deal with and I admit there is no quick answer.
How should we view this mass deportation exercise? Well, we must continue to be law abiding citizens of this country. We can pray for our policy makers and do works of advocacy. And, in trying to understand and articulate the issues I find it helpful to ask probing questions. Is it the truth? Is it fair? Does it build goodwill and foster better friendship? Is it necessary? From whatever perspective we come from, be it economical, political or social, or religious, let us explore the merits of legalising their stay but not circumventing the law to obtain citizenship. I urge the church community to follow this development and respond appropriately to the issue but remain true to the biblical principles of love and co-existence. The issue of illegal immigrants must be considered separately from IMM13 holders and legal foreign workers.
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