KOTA KINABALU – Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) wants a full probe into Sabah MIC chief Peer Mohamad Kadir following claims that he may have obtained his identity card illegally.
Party president Datuk Seri Maximus Ongkili, a minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Sabah and Sarawak Affairs), said PBS strongly advocates ridding Sabah of illegal immigrants.
“We strongly believe that the state, and the country as a whole, belong to genuine Malaysians.
“PBS is equally concerned over claims that he (Peer) had entered from India in 1984, and obtained an identity card six years later through a dubious manner,” he said.
“We hope the investigation will open the whole Pandora’s box. We would like to know how he got his citizenship, plus other details, so proper action can be taken against him,” said Ongkil in a statement here today.
He had chaired PBS’ first supreme council meeting for this year yesterday.
On Sunday, activists questioned the identity of the Sabah MIC chairman, who allegedly shares the same name as an individual from India who was a witness in the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on illegal immigration in Sabah in 2013.
That migrant in question allegedly obtained a Malaysian identity card only after coming to Sabah in 1984 from Chennai, India.
Daily Express reported that the individual named Peer Mohamad Kadir, who said he was born in Chennai, India, had obtained his Malaysian citizenship in 1989 with the help of his uncle, paying RM20 for stamp duty.
Earlier today, when questioned by reporters, Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Mohd Noor, who is the chairman of the ruling Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), said that he will probe into the claim that Peer is a migrant and had recently been appointed to the board of Sawit Kinabalu, a state government-linked company.
Ongkili said that he believes the issue will open a can of worms, particularly in terms of the immigration loopholes and weaknesses that have caused a large presence of illegal immigrants in Sabah.
“We have received the Sabah Immigration Department’s commitment to work with the Sabah government and find a solution to the loopholes in immigration at the Labuan and Menumbok ferry terminals, and the Jesselton Point ferry terminal in Kota Kinabalu.
“Protecting the sovereignty of our state and country is also enshrined in the Malaysia Agreement 1963. Let’s do these for the good of the genuine citizens,” said Ongkili. – The Vibes, January 18, 2022
