A businessman with foreign parents told the royal inquiry on illegal immigrants today that he registered as a voter in 1991 using a red identity card (IC) and has voted three times in Sabah.
Omar Mohd Subair, who testified that he was born in Sabah in 1954, said he had received a red IC, which is issued for permanent residents, in 1985.
“In 1991, after you got your birth certificate, you tried to change to a blue IC, but the National Registration Department (NRD) gave you a receipt that had your red IC number and a 12-digit number,” said conducting officer Jamil Aripin at the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) hearing here.
“With that receipt, you registered as a voter. You voted in 1994, 1999 and 2004,” he added, to which Omar agreed.
Omar, however, said his name had been removed from the electoral roll for Election 2008 and the approaching Election 2013.
Jamil pointed out that Omar had failed to change his red IC to a blue IC as the NRD had found that the latter had used a fake statutory declaration to support his red IC application.
Omar said he was illiterate and that another person had helped him with the statutory declaration.
Omar, who works in the restaurant business, also said he had tried five times to apply for a blue IC, but was unsuccessful.
A few Pakistani and Indian immigrants testified last month about obtaining blue ICs — either from runners or from the NRD directly — within just a few years of arriving in Sabah without producing birth certificates.
They have also said that they registered as voters soon after receiving the blue ICs and voted in elections.
An Indonesian immigrant testified last month that a Tawau Native Court official had given him a blue IC in 1979, after arriving in Sabah in 1973, to vote for the ruling party.
The 1994 state election saw Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) winning just 25 out of 48 state assembly seats.
But several PBS assemblymen defected to Barisan Nasional (BN) shortly after, causing the collapse of the PBS government.
Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Malaysia’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 citizenship was allegedly given to immigrants for their votes.
But former Sabah Chief Minister Tan Sri Harris Salleh, who administered the state from 1976 to 1985, has denied at the RCI of the existence of “Project IC”.
Dr Mahathir told a press conference last month that foreigners in Sabah had indeed received citizenship, but stressed that it was “within the law”.
The inquiry before a five-member panel led by former Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Tan Sri Steve Shim Lip Kiong resumes on March 5.
comments
People like Pairin are to be blamed for playing with UMNO for the sake of remaining in power.
Doesnt he have a consience
To vote in Malaysia no need for Blue IC or Malaysian citizenship..Just take Oath before Bapa Mahathir that you will vote for BN for rest of you life, and change you name and religion. That's all you need to do! People of Sabah wake up please!
Pakatan must drum this to the Sarawakians and Sabahans
Let them know it loud and clear... this must become a household hym !!
How they have been used betrayed and trivialised ... there is no worse dishonor for a person
Tell them how their numbers were wilfully reduced and others increased by the present
corrupt and devious politicians working in cohorts with worse ements in PutraJaya
For what ..?...To stay in power and continue looting them.
