Anifah Springs Another Surprise!

The outspoken and controversial Member of Parliament (MP) from Sabah, Datuk Anifah Aman has sprang another surprise!

The MP for Kimanis first sprang a surprise on March 19 (11 days after Malaysia's 12th General Election) when he declined the Prime Minister's offer to re-appoint him as a Deputy Minister in the federal government. The Kimanis UMNO (leading partner of the ruling coalition BN) division chairman had served for two terms starting 1999 in the same capacity.

Then on May 8, he raised eyebrows in Parliament when he, despite being a government backbencher, said there was nothing wrong for Sabah MPs to move from a 'bungalow' (BN) to a terraced house (Opposition) if they found it to be more comfortable in the latter.

Today, Anifah sprang another surprise by issuing yet another controversial statement when he commented on an earlier statement by the Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak that the Federal government would soon conduct a massive exercise to flush out illegal immigrants from Sabah. Najib, who is also Defense Minister, was recently appointed by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to head a high-powered Cabinet Committee on Illegal Immigrants in Sabah.

And what was so controversial about Anifah's statement today? He said the federal government's proposal to setup a special task force on illegal immigrants in the state is UNCONSTITUTIONAL!

"The actual power on immigration matters lies with the state government," he was quoted by Bernama as saying on an online news portal.

Citing Article 161E(4) of the Federal Constitution, Anifah said immigration matters in Sabah and Sarawak lies with the state authority, the chief minister, to regulate and control.

He said the proper way to handle illegal immigrants' issue was to set up a high-profile task force headed by the chief minister while the deputy premier could play the role of a patron.

"This would be consistent with Article 161E(4) of the Federal Constitution," he said.

Anifah also dismissed other proposals such as a royal commission or even a parliamentary select committee as unconstitutional and inappropriate.

He said a special panel headed by the Sabah Chief Minister with participation from federal ministers, was the only constitutional step towards solving the state's long-standing illegal immigrants' problem.

As such, he said, the fedeal government's move to set up a high-level task force headed by the Deputy Prime Minister as announced by the Prime Minister recently as part of a package designed to appease Sabahans, went against the Federal Constitution.

Anifah, the powerful brother of the Sabah Chief Minister seen as a key player in the battle for support of East Malaysian legislators, was backing Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) sentiments in relation to Sabahans' unhappiness with the BN federal government, but stopped short of backing SAPP's decision to support a no-confidence motion against the prime minister.

He suggested that the federal home affairs minister should also sit on the special panel to advise on the findings and recommendations.

Anifah said the high number of illegal immigrants in the state was a long-standing issue which Sabahans are unhappy with and expect help from the federal government to solve.

In 2002, the federal government set up a cabinet committee to tackle the problem, but Sabahans say they have seen very little results on the ground, and have widespread concerns that illegal immigrants will soon outnumber citizens in the state.

In view of the fact that the illegal immigrants' issue falls under the ambit of Article 161E(4) of the Federal Constitution, it would also be inappropriate for a parliamentary select committee to study the issue.

According to Bernama, Anifah since rejecting the deputy minister's post had positioned himself to champion the interests of Sabah and Sarawak in recent months.

He has so far refused to chastise SAPP, a BN component party, except to say that he did not support any no-confidence motion against the prime minister.