The place we call home: KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 16 — Under a colourful canopy umbrella in the heaving Filipino market in Kota Kinabalu, 25-year-old Kasmiah Harli was spotted furiously fanning coals. Her husband Arlis Nur, 27, busied himself skewering chicken wings and gizzards in preparation for the night’s business. On a small home-made stool, their daughter Merlindawati Arlis, 8, was deep in thought over a difficult equation. Kasmiah and Arlis were born and brought up in Sandakan, Sabah. They moved to KK as newlyweds to eke a better living for their future family. They feel safe here and are attached to the people, the languages and to the land. They proudly call Sabah, Malaysia their home. I, too, call Sabah my home. Yet there is a crucial difference to Arlis’ and my version of home. I hold a blue IC and proudly bear the red pocket-sized Malaysian passport on my travels overseas. The Arlis family hold only birth certificates and no ICs. The couple finished school at 15 years old and little Merlindawati would probably have to too unless she manages to get an IC. Legally, they are not Malaysians. Without the proper paperwork, they are stateless people deemed to have entered the country illegally. This, despite the fact, that Arlis and Kasmiah are second generation Filipinos who were born and lived their entire lives here. Pilak (derogatory term for illegal immigrants), PTIs (Pendatang Tanpa Izin), aliens are just some of the terms that they are used to. “Biasa sudah tu kena panggil begitu. Dulu saya marah. Sekarang, kami cakap kami Melayu saja,” Arlis said. (We’re used to the name-calling. I used to get angry. Now, we just say that we’re Malays.). The story of illegal immigrants in Sabah is a complex, torrid and ugly one. It has everything to do with history (or the version that we were taught in schools) and decades of political interference and demographic re-engineering gone awry. Illegal immigrants are a big part of Sabah’s society yet their presence is not integrated. They co-exist on the fringes of society and are seen as a security threat, and an economic and social burden. They are the big bad Boogieman that my generation and my parents’ generation feared and subsequently hated for they came here to take away our rights as Sabahans, as Malaysians and were crooks. Or so we were told. Oh, how this story needs to be updated. It needs to be rewritten to highlight the inclusiveness that Sabahans have long harped on when talking about Merdeka and the tripartite Federation of Malaysia agreement. We argue that the current Merdeka story is too Malaya-skewed. We contend that there are three Merdeka dates to remember and celebrate; August 31, 1957 (Malaya’s independence), July 22, 1963 (Sarawak’s) and August 31, 1963 (Sabah’s). We want everyone to know and honour that Malaysia was born on September 16, 1963 by a strict agreement of equal partnerships and protected rights and privileges. We demand inclusiveness. Perhaps, we could start showing some inclusiveness at our home state first to this marginalised immigrant community. For decades, we hardened our hearts and turned a blind eye to this community. The first generation of those who came here in the 1970s wanted to escape persecution from the political turmoil in southern Philippines. This was the time that Project IC, the systematic granting of citizenship in exchange for votes, was widely believed to have started. The immigrant generations stayed on, bred and the cycle continued. Anger is a destructive, dangerous emotion. It is especially negative when it is pent-up collective anger driven by fear, frustration and helplessness. And that is what Sabahans have felt since Project IC in the 1970s. They feel their rights taken away right under their noses, outnumbered by this influx of immigrants and naturally, threatened by them. The icing of this terrible cake is the widespread belief that it happened under the direction of the Federal government with the full support of some Sabahan leaders. The story of illegal immigrants in Sabah is a complex, torrid and ugly one.” – Evangeline I believe the illegal immigrants and Sabahans were victims of the circumstances. Sabah did not get the equal partnership and inclusiveness that it was promised (remember the 20-point Agreement?). The cause of this problem is political but the effects are political and societal. In return, we meted out our anger and frustration onto this community who took advantage of an opportunity for a better life. For us to move on, Sabahans and other Malaysians must acknowledge the causes yet come to terms that Sabah is home for them too. It is inhumane for us to demand and for the government to carry out hunts for these illegal immigrants who were born and raised here and send them back to the Philippines en masse. The founder of Madrasa Al-Hikma, a school for illegal immigrant kids in Kampung Likas, Yahya Yacob put it succinctly when he said we (Sabahans and the immigrants) were “used and abused.” “The immigrants were made a political football to be kicked around. When they were no longer expedient, one part of society quickly highlighted how they were against us. The easiest person to kick is the weakest one,” he said. The road to reconciliation and acceptance is a long, bumpy one. “The best thing to do is to take them through the system. Do like America, give them a recognition which allows them to look for a job. After a certain period of time when they’ve proved themselves to be trustworthy, grant them a Green Card,” Yahya shared. “After a number of years when they’ve shown to be law-abiding citizens, grant them citizenships. “Take them through the process and do it judiciously so Sabahans are reassured and can eventually accept them into society.” The historical context may be different but Sabahans must display the inclusiveness that we demand from Malaya. What makes a place home? Is it the place that you were born in? Or raised in? Or is it your parent’s country of origin and if so, what happens if your parents come from different countries? Is it where you spent your formative years, where you studied or worked and grew into your own person? Does your ethnicity and religion define home? Happy birthday, Malaysia. Evangeline Majawat is a freelance writer based in Sabah. She was previously a journalist with the New Straits Times and senior executive at Media Prima Digital. She is an avid Neil Gaiman fan and is a yoga enthusiast. dlvr.it/3z8ZN3
Posted on: Mon, 16 Sep 2013 08:20:52 +0000
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