KOTA KINABALU: DAP Sabah secretary Dr Edwin Bosi has commended the Sabah Cultural Board, headed by Datuk Wences Anggang, for taking the initiative to organise a workshop to address the various issues relating to ethnic identity on September 2–3.
Dr Bosi, who is also the Kapayan assemblyman, said the effort is long overdue but then again, it is better late than never.
“The issue of having ‘Bin’ or ‘Binti’ with the names of non-Muslim natives is actually a non-issue. We have been using this ‘Bin’ and ‘Binti’ since the time when identity cards were first issued without any problem of identity. It is only becoming a problem when they (non-Muslim natives) travel to Kuala Lumpur.
“First, they are assumed to be Muslims and therefore subjected to restrictions, especially during the fasting month of Ramadan, and also harassed when patronising gambling outlets and pubs that serve alcohol,” he said.
“The unsavoury part of this is the unnecessary checking by the Muslim religious enforcement agency in the hotels. It becomes even more unfortunate for them when those non-Muslim natives with a ‘Bin’ or ‘Binti’ are mistakenly recorded as Muslim without their knowledge when applying for a MyKad. This happens when we have officers in the National RegistrationDepartment who make erroneous assumptions without verification or reference to the applicants themselves,” he added.
Dr Bosi, who is also chairman of DAP Sabah Native Consultative Council, also said that he was very impressed with the topics that would be covered during the workshop.
The one topic that the Sabah Cultural Board should consider is the definition of native.
“I have raised this matter in the State Assembly but the answer from the Local Government and Housing Minister was that the issue is sensitive and complex. The minister concerned also said his ministry needs more time to study and research on this subject,” Dr Bosi elaborated.
“I have seen a prepared enactment on the definition of a native but this was not debated or rather, not moved as a motion for debate in the State Assembly.
“I would therefore like Datuk Wences Anggang to invite an expert from the Ministry of Local Government and Housing to present a paper on the definition of a native. Let this workshop be the spark or catalyst to find a final definition of a native in Sabah. Hopefully an enactment on the definition of a native will be tabled by the government in the assembly soon,” Dr Bosi added.