THE people of Sabah by-and-large feel insecure about their safety due the large presence of illegal immigrants (PTIs) and people of dubious citizenship via “Project IC”.

PTIs refer to people from the southern Philippines who entered the state of Sabah illegally and were allegedly given blue ICs by the BN government during Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s time. A majority of these people reside in the east coast of Sabah.

Emotions can run high when discussing the PTIs issues in Sabah.

The rise of Shafie Apadal and Parti Warisan Sabah in the state has brought in the “suluk” factor into play. The Suluk or lanun (pirates ) are now the bogeyman of Sabah’s politics.

Since Parti Warisan leader Shafie Apdal is from the East Coast of Sabah, he has been labelled a Suluk or lanun. Many people are speculating that he will get support from the “Project IC” people who have been legalised and are now second or third generation Sabahans.

Shafie in his speeches says he is a “Bajau” like many of the state leaders before him and those in the current government, shoving aside the “suluk” label people try to pin on him.

Your race or heritage can be a plus or a liability in Malaysian race based politics. You have people claiming to be a bugis warrior; a former prime minister branded as Indian; Chinese and Indians politicians labelled as ‘pendantang’, and now Shafie a Suluk. The race-based politics and name-calling has hit Sabah shores.

Branding Shafie as the Suluk guy or ‘lanun’ is fair game in politics. It’s just like MCA president Liow Tiong Lai saying that DAP leader Lim Kit Siang will be the next prime minister of Malaysia if Pakatan Harapan wins the elections. It’s designed to sow confusion and create fear in people’s minds.

After a long hiatus, prime minister Najib Razak announced in 2012 that the federal government has agreed to set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to investigate the PTIs issue in Sabah. This is to satisfy both sides of the political divide who have been pressuring the government to investigate and to provide solutions to the growing problems of illegal immigrants in Sabah.

The Royal Commission of Inquiry used perplexed terms in its conclusion. It stated,“Project IC had more likely than not existed. On the one hand, we have witnesses who have described in some detail their active involvement in the said project as well as the participation of certain high-profile politicians. On the other hand, these politicians have testified before the RCI, denying in no uncertain terms all the allegations against them”.

The RCI considered evidence that in the 1990s the population growth in Sabah rose by 78%, which would have been the highest increase since Sabah became part of Malaysia. Project IC can perhaps explain the huge population growth during these periods.

In contrast, the average population growth rate between 2014 and 2017 in Sabah was only 1.55%. Sabah population growth since the 1990s can only be described as an outlier as it doesn’t conform to the norm.

When the RCI’s conclusion stated “Project IC had more likely than not existed”, it was probably an admittance that Project IC did happen without wanting to apportion any guilt to persons involved. There are obvious political or legal implications if someone is found guilty.

The project IC was a form of gerrymandering. Instead of changing political boundaries, project IC was used to change the demographics to dilute the powers of the ruling PBS party and its Kadazandusun support base.

After the RCI report reached conclusions, the blame game intensified. Dr Mahathir blamed his deputy Anwar Ibrahim and vice versa. Dr Mahathir, not admitting fault, said that it is the government’s policy to recognise people who are loyal to this country, people who are truly Malaysians in all ways.

As far as RCI goes in Malaysia, it’s more of a sham rather than a document to right the wrong, hold someone accountable, and act on recommendations of the panel. Like the RCI on the Bank Negara Malaysia forex losses, it may come to nought. Sabahans are still angry that there is no satisfactory conclusion to the RCI, and left hanging for generations to come.

On November 2017, deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said several recommendations of the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on the illegal immigrants in Sabah have been implemented in accordance with the stipulated procedures. Zahid mentioned the deportation of illegal immigrants, but nothing about the Project IC people who are already “legalised”. What has been implemented in accordance to stipulated procedures is anyone’s guess.

Sabahans are jittery because of the huge presence of PTIs, invasion by the Suluks terrorist in 2013 and Philippine’s claim over Sabah. Although ESSCOM has done a good job to stabilize the situation, Sabah has a large and a porous border to defend. There are still many illegals in the state and many Sabahans are apprehensive about the loyalty of the Project IC people and their affiliations to the Muslim armed struggle in Southern Philippines. Some of the Muslims terrorist fighting in Southern Philippines and abroad are home-bred “Sabahans”.

Although some may use “Suluk” to discredit Shafie, it won’t get much traction. You can’t deny that Shafie has been on a national stage for many years as Federal Minister and Vice-President of Umno. He has proven his worth as a national leader and loyalist to his former party. The fallout with PM Najib was over alleged corruption on 1MDB and not over any matter as far as we know.

Shafie is a good orator and has managed to gather the unhappy and the disgruntled in Sabah on the issue of Sabah’s autonomy and the right to more development funds. Most of all he knows Umno’s secrets and modus operandi.

His arrest by MACC has hardened his supporters resolve to grab the chance to govern and bring back glory to the state.

Whenever and wherever there is a Parti Warisan gathering, you can be sure of huge crowds who come to listen to what Shafie’s party has to offer.

The affable Darrel Leiking, Penampang member of Parliament and deputy president of Parti Warisan who has been vocal on the Project IC issue says he is aware of the Suluk Kadazan Dusun conversations. The Kadazandusun community is most concerned with the sudden increase in Sabah population attributed to “Project IC” which has led to the dilution of Sabah ethnic groups and the demographics makeup of the state. They also feel Christianity is under threat since Muslims are the majority now and the possible Islamisation of the state by PAS-Umno tie-up in the coming GE14.

Darrel quickly dismisses the paradox of the Suluk Kadazandusun tie up. He believes that the Kadazandusun community is pragmatic and well-informed through various social media platforms unlike before. He said times are different now – people are willing to vote for change, going beyond race and religion.

From Warisan packed events and the poor turnout at BN events mirrored in the same area and the same time, Warisan has the upper hand in numbers at least.

Darrel says with great confidence, if all things being equal, GE14 is for the opposition to lose. Brave talk, some would say, but the proof is in the pudding. Sometimes confidence is all that matters. – January 31, 2018.

* Joe Samad has wide experience working for international companies and government GLC. He is interested in new technology applications in a shared economy and issues affecting the nation,  sharing his worldview across various media platforms.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.