The United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko) has reiterated its stand for the MyKad to be withdrawn in Sabah to address the problems of illegal immigrants getting the document through unlawful means.

Its president, Wilfred Madius Tangau, said Upko would continue to call for the government to withdraw the identity card (IC) as it is the only way to get the accurate statistics on the state’s population.

“We have seen the data on the population statistics in Sabah in the survey conducted every 10 years and it shows an abnormal increase in the number of births than what is usual.

“The data that was released is dubious and it has been manipulated. We, in Upko, cannot accept such data on the population statistics, and will continue to call for the government to withdraw the identity cards and reissue the cards based on the Constitution and law,” he told reporters after the Upko Supreme Council meeting in Kota Kinabalu today.

Madius said he had met Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad recently and had brought up the matter.

“During the meeting, we submit a memorandum, including on the need to withdraw the identity card. We also informed the prime minister that Upko had conducted a study on the issuance of identity cards illegally in Sabah, where it was found that 80 percent of the illegal immigrants had obtained their identity cards through corruption and the remaining 20 percent had been approached by irresponsible quarters to produce the documents for them,” he added.

He said studies had shown that the only way to address the problem was to withdraw all the identity cards in Sabah.

– Bernama