A Chinese Story

Hantu Laut

That was 20 years ago when Chinese illegal immigrants from China risked their lives at the hands of human smugglers to sail to the United States to find a better life. 

America, the "Land Of Opportunity" attracted all kind of immigrants, legal and illegal.

Today, Chinese from China will not risk their lives to go to the U.S. or anywhere else in the world. The doors are opened for them to leave the country as and when they wish. They have now become the world's largest tourism with money to throw.

In my travel to various countries in Europe and Asia the past two years I have never failed to bump into Chinese tourists, from the big city to the smallest town, they were every where. From Paris, Milan to Kathmandu, they were there.

China has come a long way to come out of the hovel it was and is now the second largest economy in the world after the United States.

I was first in Beijing in 1985 and was in Beijing again a month ago, the transformation was nothing less than spectacular. It's a miracle in motion and China will continue to gleam economically and would overtake the U.S. in the next decade.

With all the modernisation, gleaming skyscrapers and high street shoppings in the cities, there was a forgotten and neglected niche similar to Malaysia, the public toilets stink to high heaven!

Read the irony of U.S. immigration law below.

"A Path out of purgatory" 

Nurul Izzah: Sabah Constituted Right

Hantu Laut

You can puke all you want, the state of Sabah has the right to bar anyone entering the state including politicians out to cause mischief.

Nurul Izzah and her father Anwar Ibrahim have shown to be rich repository for troubles, refused to accept the verdict that they have been defeated, cooked allegation of massive frauds by BN as reasons for massive rallies that they hope would inflame the people's anger and trigger a Malaysian Spring. 

The cows might have been cowed but they are not all that stupid. They were led to the watering hole but refused to drink. The Malaysian Spring that Anwar wanted so much to happen, didn't happen.

Malaysians are generally peace loving people and would not want to destroy this country for the sake of one man's greed for power.

Sabah shouldn't take chance and let her in freely to do what her father has done in West Malaysia. She played active role in the rallies in West Malaysia and could do the same in Sabah.

Prevention is better than cure.

You can curse, swear and write shits or shit yourself all you want, the power lies with the state.

Her father promised to give more autonomy to Sabah, why is she complaining, the state is only exercising its autonomous right.

Below is Immigration Act 55 of the Immigration Act 1959/63 relevant to Sabah and Sarawak.

Restriction on citizen’s right of entry into an East Malaysian State

66. (1) Subject to subsection (2) and to sections 67 and 68, a citizen shall not be entitled to enter an East Malaysian State without having obtained a Permit or Pass in that behalf unless—

1. (a)  he belongs to the East Malaysian State;
   
2. (b)  he is a member of the Federal Government, or of the Executive Council or Legislative Assembly of the East Malaysian State (or of any Council having similar functions in the State);
   
3. (c)  he is a judge of the Federal Court or of the High Court in Sabah and Sarawak, or is a person designated or nominated to act as such, or he is a member of any Commission or Council established by the Federal Constitution or by the Constitution of the East Malaysian State; or 
   
   
   (d) he is a member of any of the public services of the Federation, or of the public service of the East Malaysian State, or of a joint public service serving the East Malaysian State, or is seconded to any such service.
   (2) Where a citizen is entitled to enter the East Malaysian State under subsection (1), the citizen’s children under the age of eighteen years and (if he is a man) his wife, if entering the East Malaysian State with, or to be with, the citizen, shall not be required by subsection (1) to obtain a Permit or Pass in that behalf.
   (3) Where a citizen is not entitled to enter an East Malaysian State under this section, Parts I to VI, in their operation as a special law for the East Malaysian State shall apply to him as if he were not a citizen:
   Provided that a citizen arriving in Malaysia in the East Malaysian State or in the other of the East Malaysian States, and proceeding to a part of Malaysia which he is entitled to enter, shall be entitled to such Pass as is reasonably required to enable him to do so.
   (4) The burden of proof that a person is entitled to enter the East Malaysian State under this section shall lie on him.
   Right to enter East Malaysian State for exercise of political rights
   67. Subsection 66(1) shall not have effect in relation to a citizen entering the East Malaysian State for the sole purpose of engaging in legitimate political activity; but the burden of proof that a person is entitled to enter the East Malaysian State under this section shall lie on him. 
   
   

American Idiocy

Last night was the Motion Picture Academy-sponsored dinner in Beverly Hills honoring the directors and producers of this year's five nominated films for Best Documentary. The dinner was an occasional tradition my wife and I started six years ago when we took our fellow nominees (we were nominated for Sicko) out for a meal to get to know each other. The Academy liked the idea, so this year it is holding dinners during Oscar Week for each of the separate branches' Oscar nominees.

Thus, last night, as an elected Governor of the Documentary Branch, I and my fellow Governors – Michael Apted and Rob Epstein – were co-hosting the nominee dinner for the documentary filmmakers. But one of the nominated directors was not there – Emad Burnat, the co-director of the Oscar-nominated 5 Broken Cameras. This exceptional, award-winning movie about how Emad's village in the West Bank used non-violence to oppose the Israeli's government's decision to build a wall straight through their farms and village – only to see (and capture on camera) Israeli soldiers shooting unarmed Palestinian civilians – had become the first Palestinian documentary ever to be nominated by the Academy.

While we awaited Emad's arrival from the airport – he and his family had already spent nearly six hours at an Israeli checkpoint as he was attempting to drive to Amman to catch their plane – I received an urgent text from Emad, written to me from a holding pen at the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

Here is what it said, in somewhat broken English: Read more.

Sue Taib If You Dare

Hantu Laut

If you can't walk properly, don't try to run, you may stumble, fall and break your neck.Read this sixes and sevens story.

I do not know Taib personally, you can sue him all the way to hell as far as I am concerned, if you have a case.

As West Malaysian would you have a case if Sabah and Sarawak Immigration refused you entry unless you fall into the categories of people under Section 65 of the Immigration Act 1959/63.

Read the relevant section below.

General powers of State authority

65. (1) In exercising his powers under Parts I to VI as a special law for an East Malaysian State the Director shall comply with any directions given to him by the State authority, being directions—

(a) requiring him not to issue a Permit or Pass, or a specified description of Permit or Pass, to any specified person or class or persons, or to do so only for a specified period or on specified terms and conditions;

(b) restricting the making of endorsements on a Permit, Pass or Certificate; or

(c) requiring him to cancel any Permit, Pass or Certificate issued to a specified person, or to deem a specified person to be an undesirable immigrant, or to declare that a specified person’s presence in the East Malaysian State is unlawful, or to order a specified person’s removal from the State.

(2) WheretheDirectortakesanyactioninobedienceorpurported obedience to any directions given under subsection (1), and there is an appeal to the Minister against that action, the Minister shall not allow the appeal without the concurrence of the State authority.

(3) An order under section 55 shall not have effect as a special law for an East Malaysian State, except so far as its provisions are by the same or a subsequent order applied to those purposes with the concurrence of the State Authority.

Restriction on citizen’s right of entry into an East Malaysian State

66. (1) Subject to subsection (2) and to sections 67 and 68, a citizen shall not be entitled to enter an East Malaysian State without having obtained a Permit or Pass in that behalf unless—

(a) he belongs to the East Malaysian State;

(b) he is a member of the Federal Government, or of the Executive Council or Legislative Assembly of the East Malaysian State (or of any Council having similar functions in the State);

(c) he is a judge of the Federal Court or of the High Court in Sabah and Sarawak, or is a person designated or nominated to act as such, or he is a member of any Commission or Council established by the Federal Constitution or by the Constitution of the East Malaysian State; orImmigration 59

(d) he is a member of any of the public services of the Federation, or of the public service of the East Malaysian State, or of a joint public service serving the East Malaysian State, or is seconded to any such service.

(2) Where a citizen is entitled to enter the East Malaysian State under subsection (1), the citizen’s children under the age of eighteen years and (if he is a man) his wife, if entering the East Malaysian State with, or to be with, the citizen, shall not be required by subsection (1) to obtain a Permit or Pass in that behalf.

(3) Where a citizen is not entitled to enter an East Malaysian State under this section, Parts I to VI, in their operation as a special law for the East Malaysian State shall apply to him as if he were not a citizen:

Provided that a citizen arriving in Malaysia in the East Malaysian State or in the other of the East Malaysian States, and proceeding to a part of Malaysia which he is entitled to enter, shall be entitled to such Pass as is reasonably required to enable him to do so.

(4) The burden of proof that a person is entitled to enter the East Malaysian State under this section shall lie on him.

I rest my case.

If you don't speak English you can't belong in Britain

Malaysians who can't speak the national language take a leaf out of this story.

By David Green

8:13PM BST 27 Jul 2011

When the last Labour government introduced a requirement that immigrants who wished to marry a British citizen must learn English before coming to live here, it struck most people as a perfectly reasonable expectation. But that requirement is now being challenged in the High Court on two grounds. First, it is said to be racially discriminatory, because it impacts disproportionately on certain ethnic groups; and second, under the European Convention on Human Rights, it is said to obstruct the right to family life.

The case has been brought by Rashida Chapti, who wishes to bring her husband to the UK from India. Her barrister claims that the language requirement contravenes Article 8, the right to family life, and Article 12, the right to marry. Mrs Chapti is reported to have travelled back and forth between India and Leicester for about 15 years, but now wishes to settle here with her husband.

The Labour government planned to bring the requirement into force in July 2011, but it was brought forward to November 2010 by the Coalition. When Theresa May, the Home Secretary, announced her plans, she said: “I believe being able to speak English should be a pre-requisite for anyone who wants to settle here. The new English requirement for spouses will help promote integration, remove cultural barriers and protect public services.”

The requirement is not too exacting. Applicants will have to demonstrate English at “A1 level”, which requires them to demonstrate a basic command of conversational English, currently the same as the level required for skilled workers who have been offered a job in the UK. Similar expectations apply to immigrants seeking work throughout the EU. Since 2006, France has tightened up its rules. Anyone without a job, and especially if they lack scarce skills, must go through the French consulate in their home country. They have to prepare a petition showing why they should be allowed in. If they can’t speak French they have little chance.

Australia requires applicants for work visas to have “vocational English”, which means they must be able to read, write, understand and speak English well enough to hold down a job. Applicants may be required to take an independent test of proficiency. Canada requires proficiency in either English or French, and also requires applicants to take a language test from an approved agency.Read more.

Let's Hope It's Not "Panas -Panas Tahi Ayam"

Hantu Laut

Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak announced that the government will soon launch a massive operation to flush out illegal immigrants in Sabah. He said those without valid documents will be deported to a country that is willing to accept them. What that means,I am not sure. One thing I know for sure not many countries will accept them if they are not citizens of the country.Even the Philippines government have refused to accept its own citizens.

There are many Filipinos and Indonesians in Sabah who are paperless because they destroyed their travel documents to erase any hint of them being Filipinos or Indonesians.There have been cases where the Philippines government have refused to issue travel documents to allow them to return to their country after being arrested by our security forces.

The Philippines government refusal to open consulate office in the state to expedite issuance of travel documents to its citizens and not dropping its claims on Sabah should be viewed as unfriendly and a form of aggression towards Malaysia.The Indonesians have been more accommodating with repatriation of her citizens.They have two consulate offices in Sabah.

Many Filipinos are languishing in detention camps at the expense of  the Malaysian taxpayers because the bloody irresponsible and shameless Philippines government couldn't care less about its citizens. Every government that came along had ignored the problems leaving the burden to the people of Sabah to bear.

The Federal government past indifference to the problem is a permeation of its arrogance when it was less politically vulnerable and conveniently chose to ignore the plea of Sabahans to deal with the problems.

Let's hope this time it is not another exercise to pull the wool over Sabahans' eyes like all previous exercises, as the Malay idiom, panas-panas tahi ayam (temporal heat of chicken shit) says of such gestures that is insincere and short-lived.

Just rounding up those illegals and sending them back to their home country is not going to remove the thorn in the flesh.Almost all of those that have been sent back, somehow, returned either illegally, some with the help of corrupt personnel in our enforcement and security forces and others with the help of equally corrupt Immigration officers of their home country, given new passport with new identity. The vicious cycle goes round and round and we would be back to square one unless something concrete, sincere and viable is implemented.

As the Philippines government are not helpful and not responding to our appeal, harsh measures must be taken to resolve the problem once and for all.

The Federal government should consider doing all of the following.

1.The task force empowered to flush out illegals should comprise at least 30% Sabahans.The reason behind this is that the personnel from Peninsula can't tell the difference between the 'ducks and the chickens', only Sabahans can tell whether they are illegal immigrants or not.

2.Close the border with the Philippines for the next six months to incoming traffic and repatriate as many illegals as possible during the period.

3.All illegals, before being sent back, must be photographed and fingerprinted and such details to be made available on all Immigration computers at all entry points in Sabah. If poor country like Cambodia can keep a bank of photographs of all its visitors to the country, no reason Malaysia not able to do so, as long as no one profit too much from purchase of the software and equipments.

4.Refuse re-entry of those that have been sent back and only allow those with confirmed employment contract to enter. 

5.Increase  air and sea surveillance of the sea borders with our neighbours.

6.Naturalise those who had been here for two decades or more.

The government is either ignorant or closed its eyes to the massive corruption within the enforcement agencies.Here lies the most insidious disease of all and one which can easily be wiped out if there were strong will to do so.

It's time the government carry out intense indoctrination of the enforcement agencies on the importance of patriotism and the dire consequence of taking bribes from illegal immigrants.

Ask both legitimate and illegal immigrants or any Sabahan for that matter about the infamous check point at Mile 38 Kota Kinabalu-Sandakan-Tawau highway. How some of those manning the check point were rumoured to be able to collect more than what the Prime Minister is paid.The check point has since been closed down.

Sabahans have to be practical about this long-standing issue and not be too unreasonable and demand the impossible as expressed by some KDM leaders that they want the state to be totally rid of all Filipinos and Indonesians.

On humanitarian ground, as much as we hated it, some of those who have been here for decades should be considered for naturalisation. 

To think that only Sabahans are faced with this problem is a fallacy.The U.S have similar problem with its Hispanic neighbour and many European countries faced similar threat from influx of African and Asian immigrants legal or otherwise.

Sabah is in a sorrier state because there are just too many of them which require some cleaning up by the Federal government.

Let's hope this is not another 'panas-panas tahi ayam'