why peninsular resident can stay in sabah/sarawak only 3 months?

Question

-borneo people can live in peninsular malaysia as long as they want. isn't it unfair for peninsular resident?
-any reason behind this law?
-why not vise versa? don't you think the peninsular is already congested with people?

Answer 1

This is rather funny - isn't we are all Malaysians? Right!.

The answer is simple. Before joining Malaya (as it was known then - in fact Sarawakian still call people from Peninsular as "Orang Malaya") to sweeten the deal Malaysia first Prime Minister (Tunku Abdul Rahman) agreed to Sarawak request to retain absolute rights over Immigration and Land issues. Repeat Tunku Abdul Rahman agreed to this request.

Why? Because he was worried, and thought that by inviting Sabah and Sarawak into a pact to form Malaysia - he can balance the ethnic population at that time - where Chinese and Indian population almost equal to that of Malays. This - politically would undermine Malays dominance and their status as "son of the soil" or Bumiputera in jeopardy. If he brought Sarawak and Sabah into the fold - then the number of Bumiputera would increase.

If you look at the situation now - this pact benefit Peninsular the most, because Sarawak has rich oil resources - which pumping billions of ringgit annually into Federal government coffer, which in turn utilized in developing highways - bridges, hospitals, schools you named it in peninsular states. Secondly, politically it helps make Malays remain as the supreme sons of the soil - no question ask or you will be ISA-ed. While those bumiputeras in Sarawak in particular and Sabah in general remain as "bumiputera minority" - only getting what minority should get - again no question should be asked - or you'll be ISA-ed.

In broader sense - Sarawak always at the losing end. The only right it has after agreeing to join Malaysia is right over immigration issues and land rights. But even now - you begin to question those rights. If you start questioning this right now - it's quite similar to current issue where the Chinese and Indian request the "Social Contract" issue to be revisited.

This historical fact - which remain a sensitive issue.

Answer 2

Ha, Calvin got it right... but these are the things we must not say... officially it was that Sabah and Sarawak did not get swamped with qualified labour (Sabah and Sarawak being still somewhat backwards back in 1963, the date of the formation of Malaysia as we know it as a political unity to-day - and not 1957, 50 years and blala)... so West Malaysians needed and still need a workpass to work on Malaysian Borneo... on the other side, the Peninsula needed cheap (not skilled) labour, which they could get from Sabah and Sarawak... The politicians in Borneo were also afraid that the two States here would become modern colonies of Malaysia, something which has happened to Sabah.

What was prevented then is now being 'rectified'. Sabah and Sarawak functionaries are getting older and soon there won't be many left. There are not enough young Sarawakiens and Sabahans in government offices (immigrations, police etc, well look at the population distribution, we simply don’t have enough people here...), and the outgoing functionaries are being now replaced with West Malaysians who know little or nothing about Sabah and Sarawak, its people and customs, and its history.

By the way, yes, we might refer to West Malaysians as people from Malaya, especially the older people... but I know of scores of young West Malaysians who do not, absolutely not, connect Sabah and Sarawak with Malaysia. Many of my friends who study in "Malaya" come back with their illusions of the one-nation-one-race-unity-in-diversity propaganda shattered. When studying they are still repeatedly being asked: “when you finish your studies, do you stay in Malaysia or do you go back to Sarawak/Sabah...”

Another curiosity: foreign travellers entering Sabah through KL need not fill in the immigration form as their visa is valid for Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah, 3 months… if you travel to Sarawak you have to fill in immigration forms and you get a between 1 and 3 months visitor’s visa valid for Sarawak only and nowhere else in Malaysia… could UMNO be behind that, Sarawak stubbornly refuses to let the party take over their state (a good thing, all Sarawakiens, never let those people in, look at Sabah to-day!).

OK, some more things here we are not allowed to say! But now it is done!

Answer 3

Whenever I ask this question (In real life) I am told that it's to stop the West Malaysians from 'taking over' East Malaysia with their more 'cosmopolitan' way of life.

My argument was that surely East and West Malaysians are the same people from the same country so how can one take over ones own country? I never really did get a satisfactory answer to that question.

I used to get a one year chop on my passport, which used to annoy the hell out of the West Malaysians that I'd talk to.

They would ask me "how the heck can a foreigner get a one year chop when we (West Malaysians) can only get a three month chop?"

I think it's something to do with the terms and conditions of the agreement reached in the 1960's for Sarawak/Sabah joining the union of Malaya.

"What to do?"

Answer 4

Hi again Jedi..you're right there's explicit and implicit reasons behind the law for them. Prior to Borneo agreeing to form Malaysia together with Malaya and Spore, Borneo imposed their conditions that their labour laws, immigration laws, land laws etc would not be compromised and Malaya agreed..If u remember, Brunei wanted to join in but withdrew last minute because the terms and conditions are unfavourable to them. Their King are not in the list of rulers to be the Yang diPertuan Agong (among others).

It's a long story but there's 3 way out for that..ie
1) get what u call Dokumen Pasport Terhad or
2) a PR , or
3) get a "native" status (terms and conditions apply)..

then u'll be treated just like a local. In the end, Malaya (i like that name) wont be congested anymore.

Answer 5

huh, never heard of this in Sabah but it does happen in Sarawak.
As far as i know Peninsular ppl can stay in Sabah however long they want but its a different case for Sarawak.

Answer 6

calvin, thanks for info. i didn't read / know much about this
hope one day the sarawak government will get this revised