Kota Kinabalu: Pertubuhan Angkatan Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (Agaras) President Michael Frederik (pic) said the presence of non-citizens and the looming threat of phantom voters directly impact the State’s political security, sovereignty and the identity of its indigenous people.
“Sabah’s future should not be traded for short-term political gains,” he said, pointing out statistics showing that in 2010, Sabah’s non-citizen population reached 889,779.
“That figure was from 15 years ago and today the actual number is believed to be significantly higher,” he said, adding that in contrast, the indigenous groups comprising Kadazan, Dusun, Murut and Rungus numbered only 568,575 in 2010, substantially lower than the non-citizen population.
“If a large portion of these non-citizens have now settled permanently, possess questionable documents and are registered as voters, the biggest question for Sabahans is ‘Are we prepared to see Sabah’s political power determined by those who may not be legitimate citizens?” “Is the sovereignty and identity of Sabah’s people not under threat?” he asked.
To address the phantom voter risk and protect the voices of Sabah’s indigenous people, Michael called for a comprehensive audit of Sabah’s electoral roll through cross-checking identity cards, immigration records and citizenship status.
He also proposed implementing strict biometric verification at polling stations using fingerprint and facial recognition systems to prevent repeat voting by suspicious individuals.
Additionally, he advocated for targeted citizenship document screening focusing on high-risk hotspot areas through collaboration between Esscom and the National Registration Department.
He suggested that voter registration should be based on legitimate birthplace districts rather than current addresses and urged the establishment of independent legislation to monitor citizenship grants in Sabah.
“Sabah is not just another State. It is Malaysia’s first line of sovereignty defence. If half of non-citizens hold identity cards and voting rights, Sabah’s political future will no longer be determined by its indigenous people but by those who have no historical roots here.
“This is a threat we must recognise and prevent together, regardless of political affiliation,” he said.