When States Prefer Non-Citizens Over Citizens: Conflict Over Illegal Immigration into Malaysia

Abstract

Why would a state encourage illegal immigration over the opposition of its citizens? According to the theories of immigration and citizenship, we should expect exactly the opposite: that states will monitor, control, and restrict illegal immigrants' access to citizenship on behalf of its citizens, as has been the experience of most countries. I use my research on Filipino immigration to Sabah, Malaysia to show how Malaysia utilizes census practices and documentation to incorporate an illegal immigrant population from the Philippines. Illegal immigrants play an electoral role in Sabah because of the loosely institutionalized nature of citizenship, a feature common to many other developing countries. Our examination of Malaysia reveals several elements of illegal immigration and citizenship that are common to migratory flows in other developing countries. I conclude by showing how this case is generalizable and what it tells us about illegal immigrant participation in the international system.

Global financial governance and the informal: limits to the regulation of money

“…In essence, while the formalisation of these informal sector economic actors is often proposed as the solution to the existence of an informal economy, the mechanisms to accomplish formalisation require institutional capacity which at present may be beyond the means and ability of the state in question. Moreover, the state may have other objectives behind the classification and documentation of its citizens and residents [78].…”

Migration and Remittances

“…This section discusses a case when the host country grants irregular migrants the voting privilege. Sadiq (2005) illustrates how Filipino irregular migrants were able to participate in the electoral process in Sabah using census practices and documentation. Cross-border movements across the Sulu Archipelago into Sabah have been a longtime occurrence with Filipinos gaining entry into and exiting Sabah by a two-day travel by boat.…”

Quand l’agriculture redessine le territoire : à qui profite l’expansion des plantations de palmiers à huile au Sabah ?

“…En effet, les immigrants des pays voisins, essentiellement en provenance des Philippines et surtout d'Indonésie, sont reconnus pour constituer la grande majorité de la main-d'oeuvre dans les plantations commerciales (Hugo, 1993 ;Liow, 2003 ;Sadiq 2005). Dans un contexte où persiste une pénurie d'employés dans le secteur agricole, les résidants non citoyens constituaient selon le recensement de 2000, près du quart des 2 679 600 habitants de l'État, mise à part la masse des immigrants illégaux.…”

“…Les autorités fédérales au Sabah auraient cependant favorisé dans le passé l'accession à la citoyenneté d'immigrants indonésiens et philippins, des populations parlant une langue très proche de la langue officielle de Malaysia, groupes facilement assimilables à la majorité malaise et musulmane du pays. Ainsi, l'octroi de la citoyenneté aurait été effectué afin de gonfler les rangs de l'ethnie malaise et ainsi d'influencer le résultat de plusieurs élections et de renforcer le pouvoir du parti centralisateur fédéral dont la base de l'électorat est malaise et musulmane, l'UMNO, contre les autonomistes autochtones du Sabah (Sadiq, 2005).…”