Umno, MCA, MIC, and the Conference of Rulers should respond to former prime minister Dr Mahathir Muhamad’s statement yesterday because it undermines the social contract between Malaysia’s three main races, said constitutional law expert Abdul Aziz Bari.
He said that when Mahathir mooted a royal commission of inquiry on first prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman’s granting of a million citizenships to a million immigrants in pre-independence Malaya, it was tantamount to saying that they had obtained citizenship illegally.
“Funnily enough, Mahathir, in his attempt to save his skin has somehow shot Umno’s own foot.
“When he said that Tunku has committed the same crime he has actually undermined the notion of social contract which among others include the acceptance of the Malay special privilege position on the part of Chinese and Indians in return for the citizenship status.
“Umno, MCA and MIC should not keep quiet. They must state their position. Mahathir has virtually said that the Chinese and Indians got their citizenship through immoral and illegal means,” he said in a statement today.
The former law professor also pointed out that there is a huge difference between what Tunku did and what Mahathir allegedly did.
Therefore, he said there is no need for the RCI that Mahathir suggested because, “unlike Tunku, what was done by Mahathir in 1994 looks like a crime and worse, treason against the nation”.
He explained that this is because Tunku was merely following the recommendations of the Reid Commission report, which were later incorporated in Part III of the federal constitution.
“Several schedules have also been included (in the constitution) to explain them further. The Conference of Rulers had been tasked to oversee that.
“Thus they must break their silence on this issue, just as the rulers did in 2009 when Umno began to spin the issues pertaining to monarchy, Islam and the privileged position of the Malays,” he said.
Hope that the RCI panel can help put an end to the Project IC issue in Sabah.
ReplyDeleteOther than Dr Mahathir, Anwar Ibrahim should also give his testament in the proceedings.
ReplyDeleteAs the ex- Deputy Prime Minister, surely Anwar Ibrahim knew something about the Project IC.
ReplyDeleteIf Anwar Ibrahim is not involved in the project IC issue, what is there to be afraid about?
ReplyDeleteSo far only Azmin Ali has stepped out to defend his boss. Other than that, no statement was made by Anwar.
ReplyDeletePBS secretary-general Henrynus Amin latched on to Anwar’s past record on the issue when he was in government and said it proved he had done nothing.
ReplyDeleteHe said Anwar had been aware of the fraudulent granting of citizenship to foreigners who became “phantom voters” for BN candidates during past elections.
ReplyDeleteAmin, aware that support for his party is waning, said Anwar was against a RCI on the matter when he was the then deputy prime minister and as such, is not being sincere in claiming that the opposition had a better solution to the problem.
ReplyDeleteHe was referring to a recent claim by MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek that Anwar was among those in the then BN government who objected to the formation of RCI in 1994 when he was deputy prime minister.
ReplyDeleteAmin said that even now Anwar was calling for all illegal immigrants to be issued with permanent resident status.
ReplyDelete“This is a very dangerous proposition as, under the Federal Constitution, a foreigner who has been given permanent resident status and lives continuously in any part of Malaysia for more than five years, is eligible to apply for citizenship.
ReplyDelete“PKR or Pakatan must therefore explain its intention to grant permanent resident status to illegal immigrants without documents if voted to power,” he said, adding that the party stood firm on the rule of law.
ReplyDeleteAmin said the party also disagreed with the views expressed by former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad that there was nothing wrong in granting citizenship to illegal immigrants who could converse in Bahasa Malaysia.
ReplyDeleteHe said Mahathir’s statement was offensive as he was seeking to justify the change to the political demography of Sabah during his administration at the expense of the indigenous population.
ReplyDeleteHe said Mahathir’s use of history to justify the free movement of foreigners into Sabah was “seriously flawed” and by his own logic, he seemed to justify the Philippine claim on Sabah or even the Indonesian confrontation during the creation of Malaysia.
ReplyDeleteRCI on Mahathir's years in power
ReplyDeleteFollowing on Mahathir's comment on RCI IIS, we need to act now.
The best for the nation is to call for a RCI on the 22 years and more of his political involvement in damn dirty things of his life affecting and bad consequences on all.
Among the many items include his possible involvement to send Syed Kechik to Sabah who robbed Sabah of a billion Ringgit in his short time in Sabah under Mustapha.
His involvement in the theft of our petroleum resources in Sabah.
His handling of the Bank Negara's affairs until the once Bank Negara's Governor cried in public on resignation.
Of course further investigation of the Project IC and how he managed to have so much slush fund to deal with almost a million IC under project IC in Sabah and elsewhere..
His involvement in sudden approval of Bakun Dam using EPF's money for the 5% share in Bakun project and how that fund had been channelled elsewhere possibly into Sabah for the 1994's State General Election.
All those self manipulated crisis to cause so much headaches and heartaches for all Malaysians.
Joshua Y C. Kong
013-8394513; jknow823@gmail.com
selagi prosiding RCI belum selesai, kita jgnlah buat kesimpulan sendiri.
ReplyDeleteSabah UMNO Liaison deputy chief Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak has brushed aside the opposition’s claim that there will be a political tsunami or earthquake in Sabah, saying the Barisan Nasional (BN) is on the right track to winning the next general election.
ReplyDeleteDescribing the claim as fanciful and exaggerated, he said it was only intended to boost the opposition’s political clout and shore up support for it in the state regarded as a stronghold of the ruling BN.
Delete“No doubt, the Barisan Nasional may probably face a tough challenge, especially in the urban or suburban areas, but the majority of the people of Sabah still favour the BN to govern the state and the country.
Delete“Surely, there will be no political tsunami or earthquake in Sabah. This is merely a political propaganda to create doubt or confusion among the electorate. The truth is the BN remains strong and intact,” he told reporters after meeting local grassroots leaders, here, today.
DeleteOpposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was quoted as saying in Sabah recently that there would be a shock uprising of the Sabah people in the next general election.
ReplyDeleteSalleh, who is the Sabah Legislative Assembly Speaker, expressed confidence that that BN would emerge victorious in the next general election.
Delete
DeleteHe called on the people not to be swayed by the opposition propaganda and instead continue to support Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s numerous transformation programmes for the good of their future.
Delete“I believe that what happened in the peninsula in the 2008 general election will not happen in Sabah. In fact, the political landscape in the country has changed markedly in the last four years under the premiership of Najib.
Delete“Apparently, Najib has changed the fortune of the ruling BN for the better. Najib, who adopted a people-friendly approach in tackling the various problems, is well-liked by the people. He is prepared to listen to the woes or grouses of the people and is willing to go down to look at the condition on the ground,” he said.
Salleh said this was certainly a plus point for the BN in championing the cause of the people.