Have RCI and haul up Mahathir before too late

Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Sabah said a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on illegal immigrants, Project IC and phantom voters in Sabah "is long overdue" and among the principal witnesses who should give evidence before it is too late is former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed.

All those in the know of these issues should also be called to answer, said its Security, Immigration and Electoral Reform Bureau Chairman Dr Chong En Leong and urged the government, through the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) on Electoral Reform, to set it up.

He said those who could shed light on the issue include former or present Umno members like Jabar Khan, Akjan the so-called Sultan of Sulu, Shamsul Alang and Andy Bandy Pilo.

Dr Chong said Dr Mahathir is not immune from being grilled.

Also 17 ex-National Registration Department (NRD) Sabah staff who were arrested under the Internal Security Act (ISA) around 1996, including its former directors, he added.

"Also should not be left out are former staff like Nasir Sungip, Azmi Abdul Karim, Jumahat Taripin, Asli Sidup and Yaakup Damsar.

Others like M.D Mutalib, Hassnar Ebrahim, Datuk Yahya Lampung, Tan Sri Ahmad Sarji and Tan Sri Harris Salleh should also be called," said Dr Chong.

He said Harris has insinuated that the PBS' appointed village chiefs were the ones involved in falsification of the statutory declarations (SD), whereas SDs signed by his Berjaya-appointed village chiefs were valid documents.

"A Wikileaks exposure recently had former Election Commission (EC) chief Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman admitting (in 2006) to Mafrel chief Abdul Malek Husin of the EC's role in registering foreigners as voters.

So bring in both of them as well," he told Datuk Dr Maximus Ongkili.

Dr Chong said PBS President Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan, who is also Deputy Chief Minister-cum-Industrial Development Minister, repeatedly called for a RCI for almost 20 years. The latest was made four times in one week about a month ago where "he sounded like a croaky cow."

"Practically all political parties, even the MCA and Gerakan, want this but not Umno. We were and still are concerned about security and sovereignty of Sabah within Malaysia but Umno, not Barisan Nasional (BN), would not budge," he said.

He hope the PSC will not succumb to Umno's pressure and end up like the last one that was conducted on Integrity.

"Human beings make mistakes but to admit and correct mistakes would save Sabah and Malaysia from being a doomed state," said Dr Chong.

Our children and grandchildren would ask themselves in 20 years time on why did their parents and grandparents not protecting their lands, their Sabah's sovereignty within Malaysia, he said.

PKR Sabah also called for all the phantom voters in the rolls to be cleaned, asking Dr Maximus to recall his own proposal which he made during the debate on the Constitutional (Amendment) Act in 2003 to set up a Special Task Force to rid Sabah's electoral rolls off non-qualified voters and thereby increase public confidence in the electoral process.

"Of course, your (Dr Maximus) proposal fell on deaf ears.

Our future generations would not forgive us as foretold by Datuk Radin Malleh (PBS Secretary-General) if these phantom voters issue were not resolved. Now is the golden opportunity for you to carry out your own proposal, isn't it?" Dr Chong charged.

He said expunging non-qualified names (phantom voters) from Sabah's electoral rolls naturally necessitates recall of all their MyKads and review their citizenship status.

"You have a former Home Affairs Minister here, Datuk Seri Mohd Radzi Sheikh Ahmad (who is one of the committee panel members), to help, with respect to past actions and inaction of the National Registration Department and Immigration Department," he said.

Dr Chong said he know the task of carrying out these proposals is an enormous one and the outcome will leave an indelible mark that may one day be either a source of pride to the future generations or a focus of contempt, but hoping that by submitting the party's memorandum to the committee he can help in achieving the first limb of the foregoing.

"Sabah is in a precarious situation, as far the non-qualified names (phantom voters) on Sabah electoral rolls are concerned. Precarious because it concerns Sabah's sovereignty within Malaysia.

No Sabah no Malaysia.

Save Sabah save Malaysia," said Dr Chong, who went into details of these issues during his presentation.