KOTA KINABALU: Stringent conditions on the process and issuance of hearing applications for the native title on children of mixed parentage must be set to prevent abuse of power.

       State Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun said amid calls to lift the ban on native certs for sino-natives (children of mixed parentage) in Sabah, there are many factors to consider before anything is done.

       He said this ban was implemented following calls from the native Sabahans themselves in the 80s, after alleged abuse in the process of issuance of these certs.

       “The state government did not come up with this ban itself, but rather it was implemented after calls from the natives and thorough consideration,” he said following an event here, Thursday (March 10).

       Masidi said various parties and stakeholders must sit together to see whether now was the right time to lift the ban and if so, how to prevent abuse.

       “We must put in place more stringent conditions throughout the whole process,” he said.

       He said diligent measures must be taken to ensure zero, or minimum abuse of these certs.

       Sino natives are children born of mixed parentage - Chinese and natives - in Sabah.

       Previously, the Sabah Sino Kadazan Dusun Murut Association president Datuk Johnny Goh has called on the government to lift this ban, which has been in place since 1982.

       Before the ban was implemented, Sino-natives could claim native status (bumiputra) and enjoy special rights such as acquiring native lands, opening an Amanah Saham Bumiputera (ASB) account, as well as enrolling in higher public learning institutions.

       The then Berjaya state government stopped the issuance of these sino-native certs after many non-indigenous persons were fraudulently obtaining them (most believed bribery were involved) to acquire Bumiputera benefits.

       On questions whether Sabah is now a step backwards as compared to Sarawak, which had recently passed a Bill allowing children of mixed marriages to be considered natives of the state if either of their parents is one, Masidi said no.

       He said for Sarawak’s case, they never had this issue before because only children of both native parents were considered bumiputras.

       He said Sarawak had never faced abuse of the native certs or sino native certs, because Sarawakians who are of mixed parentage, were never considered natives until the bill was passed in February last month.

       “They have to change their enactment to now allow children of mixed parentage to get a native status, which is different from what Sabah faced,” Masidi said.

       Therefore, for Sabah, he said there were many factors to consider before the ban can be considered for lifting.