‘Akjan is an Umno frontman’

By Luke Rintod of FMT

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah political activists are taken aback by the outright rejection by controversial businessman Mohd Akjan Ali Muhammad of a Royal Commission (RCI) to investigate the suspicious increase in Sabah’s legal population and the claim that citizenship had been exchanged for votes.

Akjan, a self-proclaimed sultan of Sulu, who made good in the state and is now chairman of the influential Malaysian Muslim Welfare Association (Pekida), took many by surprise when he returned to the public stage after sparking outrage for his claim to royalty earlier this year.

Lawyer Peter Marajin believes that Akjan, who was also arrested under the Internal Security Act in 1995 for alleged involvement in supplying Malaysian identity cards to foreigners, is the frontman of an elaborate set-up by powerful political figures in the government to forestall any inquiry into the delicate issue.

He said Akjan, who had resigned from Sabah Umno after the embarrassing debacle of his “coronation”, had reinserted himself into politics by allowing himself to be exploited by some who never supported the idea of an RCI in the first place.

“It is obvious now that a political party is behind Akjan in objecting the establishment of RCI. Akjan, himself a benefactor of this party, has now allowed himself to be used by the party, for reasons best known to both parties,” said Marajin, who is also a supreme council member of Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP).

‘Political Islamisation’

Marajin said the awarding of citizenship to hundreds of thousands or even a million people who came into Sabah illegally is completely unacceptable…

“It is a criminal act of the highest order and yet this is exactly what the Barisan Nasional (BN) government has been doing for the last 35 years or so.”

Claiming that the citizenship issue is a “political Islamisation of Sabah”, Marajin said it clearly showed that the federal government had adopted a “soft approach” to Muslim illegal immigrants.

Another activist, Dr Nicholas James Guntobon, accused Akjan and Pekida of trying to mislead the people by implying that the setting up of RCI is to instigate Sabahans to hate the federal government.

“RCI is to look for answers and explanations on why the population of certain small groups in Sabah has increased drastically, and the issuance of MyKads to hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants from the southern Philippines and Indonesian Muslim territories.

“Project IC is not a secret. Its existence has been exposed by many people in court cases, in statutory declarations and books and researched papers.

“Is Akjan opposing the RCI now just because he is emboldened by the inflated numbers of his community?

“I think this is all the more the reason for the RCI to be pursued, before someone comes to Putrajaya and demands to be recognised as sultan and qualifies to be a future Yang di-Pertuan Agong,” Guntobon said in a statement.

Genuine Sabahans not afraid

Guntobo, a medical doctor, said the only people who would oppose the formation of RCI are the illegals themselves.

“Why should genuine Sabahans oppose the RCI?

“It’s true that the decision to issue citizenship lies with the federal government, but how could the government give citizenship to those people who come here illegally in the first place?” he asked.

According to Guntobon, the “Borang Sijil Akuan” (to apply for citizenship) that Akjan mentioned itself needs to be investigated.

“How can he use the sijil which is known to be misused? This is among the things the proposed RCI needs to investigate,” he asked.

“There is no doubt that there are a lot of ethnic groups in Sabah, but we must also know the statistics and their distribution in Sabah.

“The average population increase is just above 100 percent. But if one group in the population increases by a huge 300 to 1,500 percent, this should be investigated,” he said.

He also said that the IMM13 issued to “war refugees” in Sabah must also be investigated as this should not be the case as there is no more war in the Philippines and the refugees can go home.

“We should look into our history and the genesis of Sabah’s independence and the formation of Malaysia.”

Meanwhile, a veteran activist, Fredoline Edwin Lojingki, 70, said Akjan and Pekida should not threaten genuine Sabahans with an Umno-styled veiled threat of racial tension if an RCI on illegal immigrants and fake ICs is to be formed.

(The RCI was proposed by the Parliamentary Select Committee on electoral reforms recently.)

“It is okay for me to die fighting for RCI and what is fair to genuine Sabahans. Akjan, you should go back and do some research on how many of you here are in the 50s and 60s and how many of you are there now in Sabah, including those Suluk and Bugis who now call themselves Melayu, thanks to Umno.

“The federal leaders have been too hard on us natives in Sabah and Sarawak, especially the Christians.

“Can’t they accept the fact that we were the majority here in East Malaysia and that they must not Islamise these two states?” Lojingki said in a statement.

Only RCI can end controversy

Lojingki also said that everyone knows why Kuala Lumpur gave citizenship to these people but not to the non-Muslims from other countries.

“But it is time that something like RCI be set up to do some justice to the Malaysia Agreement that we signed in 1963 to form a country named Malaysia.

“If we cannot get justice here from our own land, then we Sabahans must call to the world for help, or else we will be eliminated. Marginalisation is already very obvious in Sabah…” said Lojingki.

Daniel John Jambun of the United Borneo Front (UBF) said a royal inquiry could be the only way to end the MyKad controversy.

“Akjan can give evidence at RCI; no need to get worked up and be so defensive. No need to defend the federal government because it can defend itself.

“Those who have eyes can see for themselves the evidence of the federal government’s illegal acts against us in Sabah.

“Can we explain why some are twice born in Sabah? It is a fraud.”

“The federal (government) cannot just give MyKads to those born overseas,” Jambun said.