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By Daniel John Jambun, 31-8-2025
THE statement by Tuaran MP Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau in Parliament this week, highlighting the mysterious “missing” 400,000 people in Sabah’s population records, once again exposes a painful truth: Sabah’s demography has been systematically manipulated through the unlawful issuance of identity cards under Project IC.
A National Betrayal, Not Just a Statistical Error
The discrepancy raised by Madius between the National Registration Department (NRD) and Statistics Department is not a clerical mistake. It is the result of deliberate misconduct by federal authorities in the 1980s and 1990s, when illegal immigrants were granted blue ICs for political advantage.
The Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on Illegal Immigrants in Sabah (2012–2014) confirmed that thousands of ICs were issued outside constitutional procedures. Yet, despite clear recommendations, successive federal governments have failed to implement a permanent solution. This was not only a violation of Malaysian law, but a direct breach of the guarantees Sabah was given under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) — particularly immigration autonomy and demographic protection.
Breach of MA63, Constitution, and International Law
When Malaysia was formed with Malaya, Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak on equal partnership, Sabah was promised:
Point 6 of the 20 Points — control over immigration.
Point 1 — no state religion, ensuring demographic balance.
Project IC violated both, while also breaching the Federal Constitution (Article 14 & the Second Schedule). Internationally, it represents demographic engineering inconsistent with the UN Charter’s right to self-determination and with UN General Assembly Resolution 1514 (XV) on decolonisation.
The question Madius raised — “Who are these 400,000 people?” — has one clear answer: they are the product of a federal betrayal of Sabah’s rights and integrity.
Consequences for Sabah
This demographic manipulation has left deep scars:
Indigenous Kadazan-Dusun-Murut and non-Muslim communities diluted.
Social tension, crime, and resource strain worsened by uncontrolled migration.
Loss of trust in federal institutions, as Sabahans feel deceived and overruled.
Our Call to Action
We fully support Madius’ call for the government to implement the RCI recommendations. But that alone is not enough. We demand:
Full federal acknowledgment of Project IC as unlawful.
Restitution mechanisms to protect Sabah’s political and demographic integrity.
Independent audits and parliamentary oversight of the digital IC system to prevent a repeat of Project IC in digital form.
Project IC was not a “mistake of the past” — it is a living wound. Sabah’s missing 400,000 people are not missing at all. They are evidence of one of the greatest betrayals in our nation’s history.
Sabahans will not forget. The integrity of MA63, the Constitution, and Sabah’s future must be defended.
Daniel John Jambun is President of
Borneo’s Plight in Malaysia Foundation (BoPiMaFo)#~Borneo Herald™
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