Life looks rather bleak for Muddin (second from left) and some residents of Kampung Tanduo as they sit outside the temporary shelter at Kampung Tanjung Batu in Sabah, July 12, 2013. The Malaysian Insider/Zainal Abd HalimIt is not a pleasant heat here in what must be Malaysia's only refugee camp for Malaysians. So Bernard Muddin sits in the shade under a creaky, wooden shelter, squinting against the harsh, unrelenting glare of the sun in Kampung Tanjung Batu in Sabah - in the land that time forgot.
This village was among others in the area that were the stage for pitched battles just months ago, the like of which Malaysia has not seen in decades. It captured world attention as an armed force based in The Philippines rushed into the Lahad Datu area in February to claim it for their own "sultan".
Malaysia responded with open battle. In March, 65 died, among them six civilians like the refugees in this village.
But now there is no action so now there is no news media, no concerned independent bodies or volunteers, no NGOs, no high-profile personalities looking for a picture opportunity.
Now Muddin just sits and waits… for the new house that was promised to be ready last month… for the rice and dried food that comes twice a month… for the provisions that are worth RM15 a day that his family receives from the Civil Defence Department.
"We had to pack our belongings in a hurry and were relocated by security forces to the evacuation centre in Dewan Cenderawasih," Muddin told The Malaysian Insider, referring to the first place his family was sent to before they arrived at this kampung.
"After the Sulu terrorists were driven out of our village by Malaysian security forces, we thought that we could return home.
"Instead, we found that all that was left in Kampung Tanduo were the husks and ruins of what used to be our homes," he said.
His wife, Siti Rokiah Julpitli, sits beside him. They had five children, but three drowned at sea. The two remaining daughters, 19 and 22, are here in this makeshift evacuation centre.
Is it safe for Muddin's family to be among 300 people camped here? They are not sure. There are rumours going around that the Sulu forces are planning a revenge attack any day now, that they had hidden their weapons and blended into the land, waiting their moment.
But Muddin's family has been here for the past two months and all they want is to go to the permanent home they were promised.
A contractor was supposed to have their new home ready by last month. Instead, not even half of the target of 26 homes promised for Kampung Tanjung Batu have been completed. In the other kampung, the contractor has not even started yet on the 47 houses promised.
The new houses in the old kampungs were promised by the National Security Council, which visited Kampung Tanduo in late March to assess the damage and decide on compensation for each affected family.
The council decided that each family who had lost their home would be given a new house valued at RM50,000, as compensation. The council picked the contractor.
The NSC and the Eastern Sabah Security Command visited the two villages last month to see how the construction was proceeding.
There were 17 houses badly damaged or completely destroyed in Kampung Tanduo, 26 in Tanjung Batu and 52 in Tanjung Labian. Not one replacement house is ready.
"We were informed by the Kampung Tanjung Batu headman, Mahmud Mallang, that our new homes would be ready in June. But there has been no news till now," said Muddin.
Among the 300 people, including children, in the two evacuation centres in Kampung Tanjung Batu and Kampung Tanjung Labian, many of the men go out and try to look for odd jobs, helping fishermen or farmers in return for food or money.
"We used to lead a better life as I had a small farm in Kampung Tanduo and could also go fishing. Now, everything is gone," Siti Rokiah said sadly, as she stroked her daughter's hair.
Timbalan Menteri Pertahanan Datuk Abdul Rahim Bakri hari ini menempelak seorang anggota parlimen pembangkang kerana mempolitikkan insiden pencerobohan di Lahad Datu, Mac lepas.
ReplyDeleteAbdul Rahim berkata Laksamana (B) Mohamad Imran Abdul Hamid (PKR-Lumut) seperti tidak tahu mengenai langkah yang perlu dilakukan oleh pihak berkuasa negara dalam menangani isu pencerobohan itu sedangkan beliau pernah berkhidmat sebagai anggota keselamatan negara.
ReplyDeleteMenurut Abdul Rahim, walaupun mempunyai banyak pilihan, kerajaan menyerahkan kepada Polis Diraja Malaysia (PDRM) untuk menyelesaikan insiden pencerobohan itu yang dilihat sebagai isu keselamatan dalaman.
ReplyDeleteKatanya PDRM mengambil langkah menyelesaikannya menerusi rundingan, malangnya penceroboh bertindak di luar jangkaan dan menyebabkan anggota keselamatan negara terkorban.
ReplyDeleteKekeliruan besar mengenai pemilikan tanah punca pembinaan rumah kepada penduduk kampung yang hilang kediaman dalam serangan di Lahad Datu Mac lalu, tertangguh.
ReplyDeleteSetiausaha Majlis Keselamatan Nasional (MKN), Mohamed Thajudeen Abdul Wahab, berkata mereka bekerjasama dengan Pejabat Tanah Sabah bagi mengatasi masalah itu.
ReplyDelete"Ya, benar penduduk kampung yang kehilangan rumah dalam serangan itu dijanjikan kediaman ganti bernilai RM50,000. Penduduk kampung cuma perlu beri pengenalan diri dan plot tapak tanah rumah mereka untuk dibangunkan binaan rumah sebagai pampasan," katanya.
ReplyDeleteBagaimanapun, beliau berkata, masalah bermula apabila semakan dengan Pejabat Tanah Sabah mendapati tapak rumah mereka selama ini dimiliki individu lain.
ReplyDelete"Siasatan lanjut mendapati kebanyakan penduduk kampung yang terjejas bukan pemilik sebenar tanah yang menempatkan rumah mereka. Jika kerajaan membina rumah ganti atas tapak tanah yang bukan dimiliki penduduk kampung berkenaan, apa akan jadi apabila pemilik sebenar menuntut rumah berkenaan. Kita tidak boleh terima bulat-bulat semua kata-kata penduduk kampung kerana kita tidak mahu pihak yang tidak bersalah kehilangan tanah mereka," katanya.
ReplyDeleteMohamed Thajudeen berkata, MKN juga berdepan masalah penduduk kampung yang kehilangan rumah ketika serangan itu, tidak memiliki kad pengenalan diri atau surat beranak.
ReplyDelete"Kami kena pastikan penduduk kampung yang tuntut pampasan itu bukan pendatang," katanya, menambah ada kes membabitkan tiga keluarga mendiami sebuah rumah sedangkan hanya satu keluarga layak memperolehnya.
ReplyDeleteDifahamkan, kerjaan Sabah memaklumkan kontraktor untuk membina rumah ganti di tapak tanah yang tidak berpenghuni bagi menyelesai kemelut itu. Sebanyak 26 rumah bakal dibina di Kampung Tanjung Batu dan 47 di Kampung Tanjung Labian.
ReplyDeleteDefence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said the intrusion by armed Filipino militants in early February and the subsequent operation to flush them out was a blessing in disguise.
ReplyDelete"I view the intrusion as a blessing in disguise. It taught us a lesson that a globalised world which knows no borders can bring new threats which needs to be addressed by not only the security and armed forces but also the people who play the role of being our eyes-and-ears,"
ReplyDelete"What we are doing in Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom) and 10 districts under Eastern Sabah Safety Zone (Esszone) is towards how we can strengthen our efforts,"
ReplyDelete"I hope we will view this issue as a lesson instead of looking at it as a case in isolation. We need to look at this issue as an opportunity for us to address this together, as a team involving all agencies so that it would not happen again,"
ReplyDeleteDefence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said the terrorist intrusion in Lahad Datu was a ‘wake-up call’ for Malaysians, as well as the security forces, to be united in facing the threats of globalisation.
ReplyDeleteMass confusion over land ownership and markings is behind the delay in the construction of new houses for the villagers who lost their homes in the Lahad Datu incursion in March, government officials said today.
ReplyDeleteNational Security Council secretary Mohamed Thajudeen Abdul Wahab told The Malaysian Insider that they were working with the Sabah Land and Survey Office to resolve the matter.
ReplyDelete“Each villager was told to identify the plot of land where their former homes had been located so that a new structure could be erected there as compensation.”
ReplyDeleteMohamed Thajudeen said that problems arose when checks with the Land and Survey Office revealed that the land was actually in someone else’s name.
ReplyDelete“Further checks revealed that many of the affected villagers did not actually own the land on which their houses had stood until the incursion in March.”
ReplyDeleteMohamed Thajudeen said the title deed situation, especially in Kampung Tanjung Batu and Kampung Tanjung Labian, was very haphazard and checks were taking time.
ReplyDeletethe NSC has to resolve is that some of the villagers who lost their homes do not possess any identity cards or birth certificates.
ReplyDeleteinsiden pencerobohan lahad datu dan berakhir, namun kawalan keselamatan tetap diteruskan. nasib penduduk tempatan yang terjejas akibat insiden ini harus diberi perhatian.
ReplyDeleteKerajaan Berjaya Sabah pada 1970an membenarkan 73,000 pelarian dari Filipina untuk tinggal secara tetap di negeri itu, samada beragama Islam atau mereka benar-benar “tiada tempat tinggal”, inkuiri Suruhanjaya Diraja (RCI) mengenai pendatang tanpa izin diberitahu di Kota Kinabalu.
ReplyDeleteKumpulan tersebut, yang tinggal di Malaysia sekitar 1970 hingga 1984, diberi syarat untuk kemasukan mereka — mereka haruslah berasal dari Mindanao Barat dan berniat untuk kekal tinggal di negeri Malaysia Timur itu.
Menurut ketua Unit Penempatan Jabatan Ketua Menteri Abdul Jaafar Alip memberitahu inkuiri, orang pelarian tidak semestinya Islam untuk tinggal di sini, tetapi mereka adalah golongan tidak berumah dalam konflik di selatan FIlipina pada masa itu.
ReplyDelete“Kita menerima sebarang penganut agama untuk mereka yang tiada rumah,” katanya.
Lima lagi perkampungan ditubuhkan pada tahun tersebut, di Telipok dan Kinarut di Kota Kinabalu, Kampung Bahagia di Sandakan, Kamoung Selamat di Sempoerna dan petempatan Hidayah di Tawau.
ReplyDeleteThe Malaysian Insider melaporkan Ogos lalu bahawa pelarian ini kemudian mengemukakan dokumen IMM13, dokumen imigresen khas yang membenarkan pelarian tersebut yang berdaftar dengan Pesuruhjaya Tinggi Pertubuhan Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu Untuk Pelarian (UNHCR) untuk mendapatkan pekerjaan di sini.
Menurut Abdul Jaafar, yang merupakan saksi ketiga memberi keterangan berkata, perlarian juga diberi kad pengenalan khas yang tidak diiktiraf oleh Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara (JPN).
ReplyDeleteTetapi pegawai itu menambah skim penempatan itu dihentikan pada tahun 1985, berikutan pertukaran kerajaan dari Parti Berjaya kepada Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS).
Di bawah pentadbiran PBS, Abdul Jaafar berkata bancian peringkat negeri diadakan untuk mengenalpasti angka pelarian yang tinggal di sini yang kemudiannya dikeluarkan dokumen bernama “kad pendaftaran sementara”.
ReplyDeleteDan dokumen tersebut tidak diiktiraf oleh JPN sebagai kad pengenalan.
Isu pendatang haram sudah lama menyebabkan penduduk asal Sabah seperti Kadazandusun dan Murut (KDM) marah, dan mereka merasakan kedaulatan negeri dirampas kerana kebanjiran pendatang dari Filipina dan Indonesia.
ReplyDeleteBukan lagi satu rahsia penduduk Sabah marah dan mahu pendatang asing ini pulang ke negara masing-masing.
Mereka juga menuduh kumpulan ini merompak peluang pekerjaan mereka dan meningkatkan masalah sosial, ekonomi dan keselamatan negeri.
Pada 11 Ogos tahun lalu, Najib membuat lawatan ke Sabah dan mengumumkan sebuah panel untuk menyiasat selama enam bulan tentang pendatang tanpa izin yang diberikan kad pengenalan dan dimasukkan dalam daftar pemilih.
ReplyDeleteTapi menurut lapan perkara yang ditetapkan, panel tidak akan mengenalpasti siapa dalang sebenar tentang pemberian kad pengenalan itu, dan tidak menghukum dalang terbabit.
Syarat panel tersebut ialah:
ReplyDelete1. Menyiasat jumlah pendatang tanpa izin di Sabah yang diberikan kad pengenalan dan kewarganegaraan.
2. Menyiasat pemberian tersebut berdasarkan undang-undang.
3. Menyiasat jika diberikan kad pengenalan biru, kad pengenalan sementara atau kewarganegaraan menyebabkan mereka mungkin didaftarkan dalam daftar pemilih Sabah.
4. Untuk menyiasat pihak berkuasa ada membuat penambahbaikan kepada prosedur operasi standard (SOP), cara dan syarat-syarat untuk menghalang sebarang keraguan di dalam konteks undang-undang.
5. Untuk menyiasat lebih terperinci berkenaan dengan SOP, cara dan syarat-syarat dalam pemberian kad pengenalan biru atau kewarganegaraan kepada pendatang izin di Sabah dengan melihat kepada norma antarabangsa dan standard yang digunakan di Malaysia, untuk mencadangkan perubahan dan membaiki amalan sekarang.
ReplyDelete6. Untuk menyiasat kadar pertumbuhan penduduk Sabah berdasarkan kategori-kategori tersebut:
ReplyDeletea) Rakyat Sabah yang tinggal di negeri itu, termasuk yang diberi kad pengenalan biru atau kewarganegaraan melalui sijil (pendaftaran).
b) pekerja asing (termasuk ahli keluarga).
c) pendatang tanpa izin (termasuk ahli keluarga) dan
d) pelarian dan impak ke atas daftar pengundi.
7. Untuk menyiasat implikasi sosial kepada masyarakat Sabah selepas pemberian warga negara dan,
8. Untuk menyiasat jumlah pendatang “tanpa negara” di Sabah yang diberikan kad pengenalan biru atau kewarganegaraan.