Sabah Umno denies involvement in Project IC
Sabah Umno distanced itself from shocking revelations in the ongoing Royal Commission of Inquiry on Illegal Immigrants hearing, that National Registration Department (NRD) officers issued identification cards and gave citizenship to undeserving illegal immigrants.
Sabah Umno distanced itself from shocking revelations in the ongoing Royal Commission of Inquiry on Illegal Immigrants hearing, that National Registration Department (NRD) officers issued identification cards and gave citizenship to undeserving illegal immigrants.
"We are not at all involved in the issuance of these identity cards," said its deputy liaison chief Muhammad Salleh Said
(right)
.
"If there are individuals involved, they are traitors to the country," he said, urging that "proportionate punishments be meted out".
Muhammad Salleh who is also Sabah State Assembly Speaker, spoke to SabahKiniTV in a video interview last week.
He also denied allegations that there are attempts to increase the number Muslims in the country by naturalising illegals.
"Don't make a religious or racial issue out of it... regarding illegal immigrants, we don't care what religion they are, but if they got their citizenship through the back door, action must be taken."
Influx due to oppression
The Kota Belud Umno chief reasoned that the influx of Muslims in the country was because of persecution in nearby Philippines.
"Historically more Muslims came to Sabah because there were oppressed in their own country. It is a coincidence, not by design."
He said, as admitted by former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad (
left
), during tenure in the 80s, the naturalisation of deserving foreigners was a norm, but done by the book.
Muhammad Salleh praised Mahathir for agreeing to testify in the RCI if needed.
He however hit out at Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, who was Mahathir's right hand man during the time that Project IC allegedly took place, repeating his dare for the Permatang Pauh MP to also testify before the commission as he was in charge of Sabah affairs then.
Earlier Muhammad Salleh had challenged Anwar to follow in his former mentor's footsteps and agree to testify before the RCI.
Allegations that the BN misused government departments and issued citizenships to foreigners in return for their undertaking to vote for the ruling coalition ran rampant in the last several decades.
It came to a head recently when a bipartisan parliamentary committee on electoral reforms made strong recommendations that an RCI be formed to probe the matter.
The RCI is currently ongoing as the Najib administration gave in to calls from both sides of the political divide for an investigation into the long standing allegations.
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