What the hell thousands "Bajau Semporna" doing in Liawan, Keningau ?

By Dr Nicholas James Guntobon

KENINGAU : I am responding to Liawan assemblyman Sairin Karno's reaction to an expose i made regarding the about 1,000 PATAIs suddenly sprucing up their houses in an open space in Liawan, only one km from town.

I think Sairin should not confuse the people about the facts surrounding the influx of about 1,000 illegal immigrants who had turned an open space near Keningau low-cost housing into illegal kampung dubbed the new "Indah Permai".

It was clearly stated as an open space in the Land and Survey Department's locality plan, and not stream reserve as Sairin claimed. Sairin was misleading when he said there are Chinese and Murut families there.

Actually there is no Chinese in that mushrooming colony, and the Muruts actually live nearby and it was the Chinese and Murut families who are now worried for the safety of their families and properties.

It must be God's plan that Sairin himself admitted that Bajaus from Semporna are those in the ilegal squatters he helped created ! But i would share the locals' query for Sairin, what are the "Bajaus from Semporna" doing in Liawan Keningau ? In the thousands in that open space !

Sairin has the gut to say that "i migrated to Keningau".. since when did i become illegal immigrant? Does Sairin consider me already a pendatang now ? What about other Dusun and Murut natives, does he call them pendatang in their own state now?

Can Sairin please clarify whether it is true that he considers those newly-arrived as locals and Malaysians simply because the UMNO-led authority have issued them with Malaysian identity cards?

Of course the open space next to low-cost housing has not been gazetted as recreation area but it had been used by the people as such for their families. This does not mean that any PTI should be encouraged to build houses or squatters on it either. And on top it bring in swiftly all amenities like electricity supply to these newly-arrived colonies.

PATAI stands for Pendatang Asing Tapi Ada IC