32. ICs issued legally: Dr M

ICs issued legally: Dr M

Published on: Friday, January 18, 2013 http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=84010

Kuala Lumpur: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad Thursday admitted that citizenships were given to foreigners in Sabah, but stressed that it was "within the law".
The former Prime Minister was asked to comment on the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on Sabah's illegal immigrants issue.
"When I was Prime Minister, I was in power to determine the implementation of government policies. The Government received foreigners to be citizens if (they) fulfilled certain conditions, furthermore those who are there are not one, two days but already 20 to 30 years and they speak Bahasa Melayu, have the right to be Malaysians," Dr Mahathir said at a press conference here.
"So the problem is when there are people who are tidak senang (unhappy) when there are some who become Malaysians although those individuals have already long resided in Malaysia, that is what causes problems."
Throughout the press conference, he repeatedly stressed that the giving of citizenships to foreigners was "within the law".
"I never deny it were given. What I deny is that I did something against the law, that I will deny."
When asked if he was saying that the Project IC was lawful, he said: "Yes, it is lawful."
"I mean that is their right. Once they become citizens, whether they support Umno, Barisan Nasional, that is their business. We know for a fact that not all of them are supporters of Barisan Nasional," he added.
However, he said, he did not know if late former Deputy Home Affairs Minister Tan Sri Megat Junid Megat Ayub had ordered them to be issued on purpose ahead of state elections.
He also reminded reporters of the country's first Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman, claiming that he gave out citizenships to those who were unqualified to receive it.
"One should also look back and remember that Tunku Abdul Rahman was worse than me, he gave one million citizenships to people who were not qualified and not even tested? Why is it when he does it, it is not wrong, and when I do it, it's wrong?" he asked.
When asked whether he was willing to give his statement to the RCI, Dr Mahathir said: "If they ask me I would go."
Dr Mahathir, the country's longest serving Prime Minister who was in power from 1981 to 2003, has been accused of spearheading the so-called "Project IC", in which citizenships were allegedly given to immigrants in exchange for their votes. But former Sabah Chief Minister Tan Sri Harris Salleh, who administered the state from 1976 to 1985, denied on Tuesday the existence of "Project IC".
The late former Deputy Home Affairs Minister Tan Sri Megat Junid Megat Ayub was implicated in the hearings of ordering the National Registration Department (NRD)'s Sabah branch to issue temporary documents to allow immigrants to vote just before the 1994 state election in which PBS won 25 of the 48 State Assembly seats but shortly toppled through political frogging.
Megat Junid reportedly ordered temporary identification receipts of lost or damaged ICs to be given to foreigners.