Sabah Chief Minister Shafee is doubtless correct when he states that his immigration personnel are not issuing Mykads to illegal immigrants.

That does not mean that the previous BN administration did not do that. They did! And in large numbers, so creating a tied vote for BN. In fact that didn’t save BN from defeat but it does mean that Sabah has a number, probably a very large number of illegal immigrants; mostly from Indonesia where wages and living standards are lower.

This, apart from any other aspects, means that democracy is endangered by the presence and ability to vote of many illegal immigrants. The reason they are there?

Money pure and simple. Such labour can be hired much more cheaply than native Sabahans thus enlarging the already obscene profits from destroying the primary jungle reaped by those with enough money and connections to have, in the past, been able to purchase timber concessions from the corrupt BN State government.

Two things call to be done without delay. First stop the rape of the remaining tropical forest by cancelling concessions already issued by the BN administration and secondly by stopping the issue of any new ones.

With that the need for illegal immigrant labour will disappear or be very much reduced which will allow a proper review to be carried out and all involved in this disgusting trade in poverty stricken Indonesian and other nationals to be ended once and for good.

On top of this a full enquiry; perhaps an RCI, into past abuse should be made and all guilty participants in this trade in human beings appropriately punished.