Inquiry on "Sabahan" Peer Mohamad hit a snag

By Jayden Lisando, 27-9-2023

Kota Kinabalu : The inquiry on Indian-born Sabah MIC Chief Peer Mohamad Kadir — 600323-12-xxxx — on his "dubious" citizenship has hit a snag, at least for now.

The police has refused to release its investigation paper on the case which has been classified as Sulit (confidential), according to Sabah human rights advocate Daniel John Jambun who lodged a police report on Peer in August last year.

Jambun lodged the report to facilitate for an inquiry by a magistrate court here on how Peer, an Indian citizen, got his Malaysian documents including his Sabah IC which indicated he was born in Sabah when other documents show he was born outside of the state.

Peer is said to have entered Sabah in 1984 and obtained his Malaysia's document six years later in 1990.

Being the state MIC head, he now sits on the Board of Sawit Kinabalu, a state-government-owned GLC (government-linked corporation).

Asked what his next course of action, Jambun said he is consulting his advisors and may file for a judicial review.

"I will have to write to the police again, then from there file a judicial review within three months," Jambun told Borneo Herald today.

The human rights advocate was following up on a statement by a Deputy Home Minister Jonathan Yassin in Parliament in Aug 2022. Jonathan was then replying to Kota Kinabalu MP Chan Foong Hin on the authenticity of the Malaysian citizenship held by Peer.

Yassin said that his Ministry had so far not received any complaint on the matter.

The human rights advocate believes, based on reliable sources, that the Sabah MIC Chief may have registered and obtained a late registration birth certificate in Sabah without the sanction of the court

Daniel has doubted that the late registration birth certificate was issued after verification by the Mobile Court System in Sabah.

According to details in the police report, Peer was a Witness at the 2012 Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) headed by Judge Steve Shim Lip Khiong. Peer, who testified on 12 Aug 2012, admitted that he came to Malaysia in the 1980s, and later gotten his Malaysian citizenship.

Citizenship in Malaysia, under the operation of law, isn’t by _jus soli_ (place of birth) but _jus sanguinis_ (descent from a citizen).

The National Registration Act 1959/1963 states that the onus is on a holder to prove that he or she was eligible to Apply for and entitled to hold a Malaysian personal document.#