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12-09-2013, 02:20 PM
An honorable member of the Coffee Shop Has Just Posted the Following:
Dr M denies any role in ‘Project IC’
FMT Staff (http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/author/fmtteam/) | September 11, 2013
Former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad testified that the government's policy during his administration was to award citizenship to illegal immigrants who had stayed in Sabah for a long time.
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/tun-mahathir.jpg (http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/06/05/ramai-orang-melayu-meluat-dengan-umno/attachment/tun-mahathir-4/)KOTA KINABALU: Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who was the 209th witness in the ongoing Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) into Sabah’s citizenship-for-votes scam in the 1990s, has denied knowledge of the infamous “Project IC” or the “Project M”.
Mahathir, who was prime minister from 1981 until 2003, also denied that he had ordered his former political secretary Abdul Aziz Shamsuddin and then deputy home minister Megat Junid Megat Ayub to award citizenships to illegal immigrants in Sabah.
When reminded by conducting officer Manoj Kumar that former Sandakan district chief officer, Hassnar Ebrahim, had testified that Megat Junid had allegedly instructed the issuance of ICs to illegal immigrants in Sabah to help alter the state’s demography, Mahathir asked: “Hassnar?…I have never heard of him. I am also not aware that he had been arrested under the Internal Security Act. It must have been the decision of the National Security Council to detain him.”
When further told that Hassnar had testified that Megat Junid had told him that the order for the project came from Mahathir himself, the ex-premier said :”No instructions came from me.”
He also testified that he had never given any similar instructions to former Sabah chief minister Harris Salleh.
When asked if he knew of the book titled “Projek IC Agenda Tersembunyi Mahathir” authored by Dr Chong Eng Leong, the former premier said: “I glanced through the book recently when somebody gave me a copy. It is a good academic read.”
“But I don’t know how the author could reach the conclusion that it was my decision to implement Project IC. However, I realise when people use my name, the book sells very well.”
Questioned about the claims in the book that Megat Junid who chaired a meeting had said that he (Dr Mahathir) had approved the issuance of ICs to the illegal immigrants, Mahathir said: “I don’t know anything about it.”
Mahathir, who arrived at the Kota Kinabalu High Court earlier in the day accompanied by his wife Dr Siti Hasmah, had the courtroom in stitches with his wry responses to Manoj’s questions.
A calm Mahathir in his 90-minute testimony repeatedly stressed that the issuing of ICs to the illegal immigrants was done in accordance with Malaysian law and the Federal Constitution.
Clad in a grey suit with a purple shirt and maroon tie, he said that the government awarded the citizenship through the normal procedure and there was no instruction needed for that.
‘Serious problem’
He said the government’s policy while he was the prime minister was to award citizenship to illegal immigrants who were qualified and had stayed in Sabah for a long time.
Manoj: Did you at anytime when holding office as prime minister and home minister give any directive to issue ICs to the illegal immigrants?
Mahathir: No, I did not. The issuing of ICs to the illegal immigrants was done in accordance with the Federal Constitution and the law in Malaysia.
Manoj: There were complaints that some illegal immigrants who came to Sabah and unqualified as citizens, were given ICs by the authorities at that time through a so-called project “Project IC”. Do you have any knowledge of this?
Mahathir: I only heard of “Project IC” recently. Before this, I never knew of this “Project IC”.
Manoj: Some people called it “Project Mahathir”. Do you know that?
Mahathir: Oh, thank you very much for calling the project under my name … I have heard that my name has been used everywhere for many things. They call me racist, ultra but I’m never bothered. It’s part of my political life.
Manoj: In carrying out the government’s policy, do you find during your time that your instruction had been misinterpreted?
Mahathir: It was often misinterpreted by staff, sometimes during the post-cabinet meetings.
Manoj: If you knew this (instruction) was not followed or was against the rules and regulations, what would you do?
Mahathir: If I got to know about it, I would have an inquiry.
Later when cross examined by RCI panel chairman Steven Shim, Mahathir said that he too viewed the issue of illegal immigrants in Sabah as a ‘serious problem”.
“Yes, it’s true. It is a serious problem which has existed for decades. But resolving the issue does depend on who is the person-in-charge at that moment,” said Mahathir.
Mahathir also admitted to “talking to several leaders in Sabah” on this matter when told that former Sabah chief minister Yong Teck Lee had testified that he had told Mahathir about the “potential threats” Sabah faced due to the influx of illegal immigrants.
“I also remember telling them that the government would help to resolve the problem,” he said.
When asked by Shim if he remembered that deputy home minister Ong Ka Ting had in the 1990s and announced the formation of a special task force to conduct a regularisation programme, Mahathir said: “No, I don’t remember this.”
Click here to view the whole thread at www.sammyboy.com (http://sammyboy.com/showthread.php?162838-Project-IC-Mahathir-did-it-illegally-while-PAP-did-it-LEEGALLY&goto=newpost).
Dr M denies any role in ‘Project IC’
FMT Staff (http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/author/fmtteam/) | September 11, 2013
Former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad testified that the government's policy during his administration was to award citizenship to illegal immigrants who had stayed in Sabah for a long time.
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/tun-mahathir.jpg (http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/06/05/ramai-orang-melayu-meluat-dengan-umno/attachment/tun-mahathir-4/)KOTA KINABALU: Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who was the 209th witness in the ongoing Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) into Sabah’s citizenship-for-votes scam in the 1990s, has denied knowledge of the infamous “Project IC” or the “Project M”.
Mahathir, who was prime minister from 1981 until 2003, also denied that he had ordered his former political secretary Abdul Aziz Shamsuddin and then deputy home minister Megat Junid Megat Ayub to award citizenships to illegal immigrants in Sabah.
When reminded by conducting officer Manoj Kumar that former Sandakan district chief officer, Hassnar Ebrahim, had testified that Megat Junid had allegedly instructed the issuance of ICs to illegal immigrants in Sabah to help alter the state’s demography, Mahathir asked: “Hassnar?…I have never heard of him. I am also not aware that he had been arrested under the Internal Security Act. It must have been the decision of the National Security Council to detain him.”
When further told that Hassnar had testified that Megat Junid had told him that the order for the project came from Mahathir himself, the ex-premier said :”No instructions came from me.”
He also testified that he had never given any similar instructions to former Sabah chief minister Harris Salleh.
When asked if he knew of the book titled “Projek IC Agenda Tersembunyi Mahathir” authored by Dr Chong Eng Leong, the former premier said: “I glanced through the book recently when somebody gave me a copy. It is a good academic read.”
“But I don’t know how the author could reach the conclusion that it was my decision to implement Project IC. However, I realise when people use my name, the book sells very well.”
Questioned about the claims in the book that Megat Junid who chaired a meeting had said that he (Dr Mahathir) had approved the issuance of ICs to the illegal immigrants, Mahathir said: “I don’t know anything about it.”
Mahathir, who arrived at the Kota Kinabalu High Court earlier in the day accompanied by his wife Dr Siti Hasmah, had the courtroom in stitches with his wry responses to Manoj’s questions.
A calm Mahathir in his 90-minute testimony repeatedly stressed that the issuing of ICs to the illegal immigrants was done in accordance with Malaysian law and the Federal Constitution.
Clad in a grey suit with a purple shirt and maroon tie, he said that the government awarded the citizenship through the normal procedure and there was no instruction needed for that.
‘Serious problem’
He said the government’s policy while he was the prime minister was to award citizenship to illegal immigrants who were qualified and had stayed in Sabah for a long time.
Manoj: Did you at anytime when holding office as prime minister and home minister give any directive to issue ICs to the illegal immigrants?
Mahathir: No, I did not. The issuing of ICs to the illegal immigrants was done in accordance with the Federal Constitution and the law in Malaysia.
Manoj: There were complaints that some illegal immigrants who came to Sabah and unqualified as citizens, were given ICs by the authorities at that time through a so-called project “Project IC”. Do you have any knowledge of this?
Mahathir: I only heard of “Project IC” recently. Before this, I never knew of this “Project IC”.
Manoj: Some people called it “Project Mahathir”. Do you know that?
Mahathir: Oh, thank you very much for calling the project under my name … I have heard that my name has been used everywhere for many things. They call me racist, ultra but I’m never bothered. It’s part of my political life.
Manoj: In carrying out the government’s policy, do you find during your time that your instruction had been misinterpreted?
Mahathir: It was often misinterpreted by staff, sometimes during the post-cabinet meetings.
Manoj: If you knew this (instruction) was not followed or was against the rules and regulations, what would you do?
Mahathir: If I got to know about it, I would have an inquiry.
Later when cross examined by RCI panel chairman Steven Shim, Mahathir said that he too viewed the issue of illegal immigrants in Sabah as a ‘serious problem”.
“Yes, it’s true. It is a serious problem which has existed for decades. But resolving the issue does depend on who is the person-in-charge at that moment,” said Mahathir.
Mahathir also admitted to “talking to several leaders in Sabah” on this matter when told that former Sabah chief minister Yong Teck Lee had testified that he had told Mahathir about the “potential threats” Sabah faced due to the influx of illegal immigrants.
“I also remember telling them that the government would help to resolve the problem,” he said.
When asked by Shim if he remembered that deputy home minister Ong Ka Ting had in the 1990s and announced the formation of a special task force to conduct a regularisation programme, Mahathir said: “No, I don’t remember this.”
Click here to view the whole thread at www.sammyboy.com (http://sammyboy.com/showthread.php?162838-Project-IC-Mahathir-did-it-illegally-while-PAP-did-it-LEEGALLY&goto=newpost).