Kit Siang urges Pairin to clear air on RCI into Sabah's undocumented immigrants with voting rights
DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang arrives at the Kuala Lumpur High Court June 28, 2022. — Picture by Hari Anggara
KUALA LUMPUR, July 4 — DAP's Lim Kit Siang today demanded former Sabah leader Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan explain publicly what he did for four years as the chairman of the Working Committee on the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) investigating the state's longstanding problem with undocumented immigrants who were granted citizenship in return for votes.
The Iskandar Puteri MP attributed Pairin's rise to be Sabah chief minister in 1985 and subsequent fall a decade later to the large-scale scheme conferring Malaysian citizenship to illegal immigrants in exchange for their votes to the then ruling party, widely known as Project IC.
"If not for the nightmare of the illegal immigrants on the electoral rolls, Joseph Pairin would not have been forced out as Chief Minister, and at least half a dozen of Sabah Chief Ministers who subsequently occupied the high office would not be Sabah Chief Ministers," Lim said in a statement.
Lim raised questions on some 5,000 pages said to be missing from the RCI report, noting that they supposedly contained detailed memoranda, notes of evidence, statutory declarations, and exhibits on the issue.
"Did the Working Committee on the RCI Report have access to these 5,000 missing pages?
"Another question for Joseph Pairin is why nobody knows what the Working Committee on the RCI Report had done? What had the Working Committee on the RCI Report under Joseph Pairin achieved?" he asked.
The veteran federal Opposition politician also said Pairin's brother, current Deputy Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan should also clear the air on the issue.
"Jeffrey said in February that the illegal immigrants had 'slipped under our radar', and the authorities had no idea where the illegal immigrants were, who they were or what they were up to — exposing the Malaysian citizens to security threats as well as health hazards.
"Has Joseph’s committee resolved the nightmare of Sabah?" Lim asked.
Sabah's decades-old flood of immigrants who were conferred citizenship in exchange for voting in the then ruling party revived last week with the arrest of a local politician linked to a syndicate.
Last week, police busted a syndicate run by Parti Perpaduan Rakyat Sabah (PPRS) leader Mohd Arshad Abdul Mualap, which Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin said had offered forged documents to foreigners that awarded them Malaysian identity cards.
Mohd Arshad and another man known as Mohd Amkah were charged with fraud under Section 420 of the Penal Code at the High Court in Shah Alam, Selangor on June 30.
Sabah politician Mohd Arshad had run against Umno's Tan Sri Musa Aman who was at that time the incumbent chief minister for the Sungai Sibuga state seat in the 2013 general election.
PPRS had also partnered the United Sabah Alliance — comprising Sabah Progressive Party, Sabah Star, and Parti Harapan Rakyat Sabah — for the 2018 general election.
KUALA LUMPUR, July 4 — DAP's Lim Kit Siang today demanded former Sabah leader Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan explain publicly what he did for four years as the chairman of the Working Committee on the Report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) investigating the state's longstanding problem with undocumented immigrants who were granted citizenship in return for votes.
The Iskandar Puteri MP attributed Pairin's rise to be Sabah chief minister in 1985 and subsequent fall a decade later to the large-scale scheme conferring Malaysian citizenship to illegal immigrants in exchange for their votes to the then ruling party, widely known as Project IC.
"If not for the nightmare of the illegal immigrants on the electoral rolls, Joseph Pairin would not have been forced out as Chief Minister, and at least half a dozen of Sabah Chief Ministers who subsequently occupied the high office would not be Sabah Chief Ministers," Lim said in a statement.
Lim raised questions on some 5,000 pages said to be missing from the RCI report, noting that they supposedly contained detailed memoranda, notes of evidence, statutory declarations, and exhibits on the issue.
"Did the Working Committee on the RCI Report have access to these 5,000 missing pages?
"Another question for Joseph Pairin is why nobody knows what the Working Committee on the RCI Report had done? What had the Working Committee on the RCI Report under Joseph Pairin achieved?" he asked.
The veteran federal Opposition politician also said Pairin's brother, current Deputy Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan should also clear the air on the issue.
"Jeffrey said in February that the illegal immigrants had 'slipped under our radar', and the authorities had no idea where the illegal immigrants were, who they were or what they were up to — exposing the Malaysian citizens to security threats as well as health hazards.
"Has Joseph’s committee resolved the nightmare of Sabah?" Lim asked.
Sabah's decades-old flood of immigrants who were conferred citizenship in exchange for voting in the then ruling party revived last week with the arrest of a local politician linked to a syndicate.
Last week, police busted a syndicate run by Parti Perpaduan Rakyat Sabah (PPRS) leader Mohd Arshad Abdul Mualap, which Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin said had offered forged documents to foreigners that awarded them Malaysian identity cards.
Mohd Arshad and another man known as Mohd Amkah were charged with fraud under Section 420 of the Penal Code at the High Court in Shah Alam, Selangor on June 30.
Sabah politician Mohd Arshad had run against Umno's Tan Sri Musa Aman who was at that time the incumbent chief minister for the Sungai Sibuga state seat in the 2013 general election.
PPRS had also partnered the United Sabah Alliance — comprising Sabah Progressive Party, Sabah Star, and Parti Harapan Rakyat Sabah — for the 2018 general election.
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KT COMMENTS:
Project IC: Warisan feels vindicated, Najib blames Dr M and Anwar
........ In 2013 Najib established a royal commission of inquiry to investigate whether there was truth to claims that identity cards were being issued illegally.
The Star:
Dr M: Project IC in Sabah justified
Saturday, 04 Apr 2015 4:30 PM MYT
CYBERJAYA: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad (pic) justified the stand to give foreigners in Sabah identity cards if they had lived in Malaysia for many years and as a local.
........ In 2013 Najib established a royal commission of inquiry to investigate whether there was truth to claims that identity cards were being issued illegally.
PBS president Maximus Ongkili
Eventually, the commission surmised that this was the work of syndicates and corrupt government officials, but no political party was blamed.
During the PBS annual delegates assembly on Thursday, Ongkili told his party that a "BN party" was responsible for a citizenship-for-votes scheme.
Ongkili, who is a cabinet minister in charge of Sabah and Sarawak affairs, said efforts must be undertaken to remove unqualified individuals from the voter list.
Unfounded allegations?
Following this, there has been a flood of criticisms for Ongkili, coming from Sabah BN for making allegedly unfounded allegations.
For instance, former Sabah BN chief Salleh Said Keruak told a forum at the Sabah BN convention that Ongkili's allegations were slander.
"I am so angry reading the news, Max (Maximus) is crazy, he made a statement saying a party in BN has fake voters, and issues fake ICs… if he mentions BN we will lodge a police report because this is slandering.
"The RCI (Royal Commission of Inquiry) did not mention who did it. It is just reports, investigations... he should not have said that just because of politics," said Salleh, according to Borneo Post.
Eventually, the commission surmised that this was the work of syndicates and corrupt government officials, but no political party was blamed.
During the PBS annual delegates assembly on Thursday, Ongkili told his party that a "BN party" was responsible for a citizenship-for-votes scheme.
Ongkili, who is a cabinet minister in charge of Sabah and Sarawak affairs, said efforts must be undertaken to remove unqualified individuals from the voter list.
Unfounded allegations?
Following this, there has been a flood of criticisms for Ongkili, coming from Sabah BN for making allegedly unfounded allegations.
For instance, former Sabah BN chief Salleh Said Keruak told a forum at the Sabah BN convention that Ongkili's allegations were slander.
"I am so angry reading the news, Max (Maximus) is crazy, he made a statement saying a party in BN has fake voters, and issues fake ICs… if he mentions BN we will lodge a police report because this is slandering.
"The RCI (Royal Commission of Inquiry) did not mention who did it. It is just reports, investigations... he should not have said that just because of politics," said Salleh, according to Borneo Post.
Former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak
However, former prime minister Najib was of the opinion that "Project IC" - the codeword often used to describe the citizenship-for-vote scheme - did exist.
Responding to Warisan deputy president Darell Leiking's demand for Ongkili to name the BN party, Najib said the answer was clear.
"Has Leiking been living in a cave for the past 10 years? Let me answer him.
"The BN party that was involved in Project IC in Sabah - which happened in the 1990s - is Umno. The main culprit is (Dr) Mahathir (Mohamad).
"But, Mahathir said his deputy at the time - Anwar Ibrahim - did it.
"That is why I set up the Royal Commission in 2013 - to seek the truth," wrote Najib on his Facebook page.
However, former prime minister Najib was of the opinion that "Project IC" - the codeword often used to describe the citizenship-for-vote scheme - did exist.
Responding to Warisan deputy president Darell Leiking's demand for Ongkili to name the BN party, Najib said the answer was clear.
"Has Leiking been living in a cave for the past 10 years? Let me answer him.
"The BN party that was involved in Project IC in Sabah - which happened in the 1990s - is Umno. The main culprit is (Dr) Mahathir (Mohamad).
"But, Mahathir said his deputy at the time - Anwar Ibrahim - did it.
"That is why I set up the Royal Commission in 2013 - to seek the truth," wrote Najib on his Facebook page.
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Dr M: Project IC in Sabah justified
Saturday, 04 Apr 2015 4:30 PM MYT
CYBERJAYA: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad (pic) justified the stand to give foreigners in Sabah identity cards if they had lived in Malaysia for many years and as a local.
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