Citizenship in Crisis /by Melissa Chia Pui Fung
- author: Melissa Chia Pui Fung
- publisher: SIRD
- published in: 2026
- language: English
The book analyses the complex and controversial issue of citizenship in Sabah, particularly the incident known as Project IC where the executive powers of the time issued identity cards to undocumented immigrants in Sabah in order to transform the state into a Muslim majority state and shore up a loyal voting bloc for the then-reigning UMNO.
Via the trajectory of the formation of the Federation of Malaysia, it explains to readers the concept of Ketuanan Melayu Islam and how it motivates the actions of the Federal Government to disempower and reduce the political influence of non-Muslim natives in Sabah.
The book also provides detailed analysis of the complicated process of obtaining Malaysian citizenship, providing legal precedent for incidents where children born to Malaysian parents were denied citizenship, in contrast to the ease and quickness of the illegal immigrants who were given ICs in order to turn them into voters.
It studies the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on Project IC, providing firsthand recollections from participants of both the RCI and Project IC to establish that the project was not a conspiracy but something that truly happened. Finally, the book goes into the political implications of Project IC, the lack of accountability for its impact and the effect it had upon Sabah’s demographics and how it impacts the current political environment of the state.
About the author:
Conferred with a Doctorate in Social Science on 15 December 2023, Dr. Melissa Chia currently serves as a Sessions' Court Judge and Magistrate in the Federal Territory of Labuan, Malaysia. Her interest and passion for issues of statelessness and citizenship in Sabah were the driving forces that inspired her to pursue her PhD and, subsequently, to pen the words in this book.
Dr. Chia is also an accredited mediator with the Bar Council Malaysian Mediation Centre since September 2015. Deeply passionate about alternative dispute resolution (ADR), she is a firm believer that ADR forms an integral part of the administration of justice. Known for her collaborative and empathetic approach to resolving disputes, Dr. Chia remains committed to fostering positive and constructive communication in every setting.