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For image info, go to https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/206165 (Sabah's lingering misery over 'Project IC’)
What about Project IC RCI?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oj6dyodFI_I
81,142 views 19 Mar 2013 Former Chief District Officer Of Sandakan and former ISA detainee, Hasnarr explains the internal politics of Sabah and Project IC.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrUgLObm3DM (Siti Aminah: I took finger prints for IC)
39,277 views 19 Mar 2013 In the Lahad Datu Forum on March 18th, Former UMNO operative and ISA detainee, Siti Aminah talks about her experience with Project IC.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxIMHqXErz0 (Dr Chong Eng Leong Immigrants Issue vis-a-vis population explosion in Sabah)
452 views 9 May 2023 Population explosion in Sabah in 3 decades from 1970-2000 was related huge influx of immigrants. The Royal Commission of Inquiry on Illegal Immigrants in Sabah 2013 disclosed evidence on who these immigrants are, why are they here, how did they get here, people responsible and the effects on Sabah community by this population increase.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3QkTLJEwuk (0:09 / 42:20
EP 7 - SEJARAH PENINGKATAN PENDUDUK SABAH IC PROJEK, IMM13, [BORNEO PODCAST DR CHONG ENG LEONG]
7,598 views Premiered on 12 Jun 2024 Borneo Podcast
EPISOD 7 : SEJARAH PENINGKATAN PENDUDUK SABAH IC PROJEK, IMM13 [BORNEO PODCAST DR CHONG ENG LEONG] Dr Chong Eng Leong penulis buke 'Lest We Forget' dan buku terbaru beliau 'Population Explosion and Demographic Shift in Sabah' yang boleh diperolehi di https://s.shopee.com.my/2VWVs22i5V
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Wzed9RhOVM (Malaysia's Royal Commission of Inquiry urges probe into Mahathir over disputed islets)
12,809 views 5 Dec 2024Malaysia's Royal Commission of Inquiry has recommended the conduct of a criminal investigation into former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad over his decision to drop claims on two disputed islets in the Singapore Strait. The government in 2018 decided then to drop a challenge to a World Court ruling over the sovereignty of three islets in waters between Malaysia and Singapore. Dr Mahathir, who led the government at that time, stands accused of deceiving the cabinet on the matter. Afifah Ariffin reports from Kuala Lumpur.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8lJMIJUbKI (Anwar: RCI on Batu Puteh reveals treachery, can't be taken lightly)
2,596 views Premiered 2 hours ago The findings of the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) into sovereignty issues surrounding Batu Puteh, Middle Rocks, and South Ledge revealed a failure that is tantamount to treachery, said Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. Speaking to reporters earlier today, he said the country’s sovereignty is a matter that must be defended at all costs.
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 6, 2024: Independent Kudat MP Verdon Bahanda in March urged the 222-seat Dewan Rakyat (Parliament) members to debate the Project IC Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI).
Why is the Government now only taking action on the Batu Puteh RCI but not the Project IC RCI?
Both RCIs implicated the racist Dr Mahathir Mohamad (Dr M)-led Governments (elected every five years).
This is a comment posted on Facebook on the RCIs:
XXX
Should also bring up project I/C - It was reported yesterday that the (Batu Puteh) RCI, in its 217-page report, recommended that a criminal investigation be initiated against former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad under Section 415(b). The section deals with cheating.
Watch the above video links how witnesses to Project IC operations were detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for exposing Umno’s electoral cheating in Sabah.
No News Is Bad News also reproduces a March Daily Express news report on Project IC RCI, a malaymail report and a Wikileaks write-up on Project IC:
Debate RCI report on Project IC in Dewan Rakyat, says Kudat MP
Published on: Wednesday, March 06, 2024
By: FMT, Shahrul Shahabudin
Kudat MP Verdon Bahanda said Sabah had been ‘damaged’ as a result of the actions of several leaders who granted citizenship to foreigners. (Facebook pic)
Kuala Lumpur: An MP from Sabah has called for the royal commission of inquiry (RCI) report on Project IC to be tabled and debated in the Dewan Rakyat.
Verdon Bahanda (Ind-Kudat) said the report needed to be discussed in Parliament to establish who in the government was involved in the project, because it was a crime.
Moreover, Verdon said, it was the greatest betrayal of Malaysia’s sovereignty and those responsible should be punished.
He said Sabah, despite being known for its racial harmony and tolerance, had long been “damaged” by the actions of several power-hungry leaders who granted citizenship to foreigners.
“Severe punishment (if found guilty), including revoking the citizenship of the perpetrators, must be handed out to set an example and to show that the laws in Malaysia must be respected by everyone, including the nation’s highest leaders,” Verdon said when debating the royal address in the Dewan Rakyat.
The RCI was set up in August 2012 in response to long-standing demands for an investigation into the so-called Project IC, an alleged scheme in which hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants were said to have been given identity cards on the promise that they would vote for Barisan Nasional (BN).
The RCI called 211 witnesses in total, and it presented 5,000 pages of evidence, which included photos, charts, statistics, letters, official orders, commentary, and articles.
The RCI report, which was presented to the king two years later, stated that Project IC referred to a covert programme, involving high-ranking members of the government, which issued MyKads to undocumented migrants for at least 10 years, starting in the 1980s.
Project IC was said to have two goals: first, to increase the number of Muslims in Sabah where the people were predominantly Christian. Secondly, it was to overthrow the PBS-led state government of the day, which was predominantly Christian.
Meanwhile, Suhaili Abdul Rahman (PN-Labuan) told the government to postpone its plan to increase the water and electricity tariff in his constituency.
He said it would be unreasonable for Labuan residents to pay the new tariff when they haven’t even had proper service, given the regularity of water and electricity cuts.
“There are around 100,000 people in Labuan, so the government will not incur losses if the tariff is postponed,” Suhaili said.
In December, the energy commission said the electricity tariffs would be adjusted for the Jan 1 to June 30 period, but seven million domestic consumers in Peninsular Malaysia would not be affected.
The commission said this follows the government’s decision to maintain the rebate of 2 sen per kilowatt-hour for users with a monthly electricity consumption of 600kWh or less.
In January, the national water services commission (SPAN) announced that an adjustment of water tariffs for domestic users in the peninsula and Labuan would be implemented from Feb 1, involving an average increase of 22 sen per cubic metre.
SPAN said through the tariff-setting mechanism, the structure for tariffs would be standardised across states in the peninsula and Labuan, while tariff rates would be reviewed every three years.
Musa Aman also had hand in 'Project IC', RCI told
Dr Chong Eng Leong alleged at the hearing in Kota Kinabalu today that Musa had chaired a task force back in 1991 which was designed to register foreigners as Umno members after giving them citizenships. – Reuters pic
Thursday, 18 Jul 2013 2:24 PM MYT
KUALA LUMPUR, July 18 — Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Musa Aman was involved in “Project IC,” the alleged scheme to award identity cards to illegal immigrants to boost political support, a royal commission hearing was told today.
Dr Chong Eng Leong, a former Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) senator and state lawmaker alleged at the hearing in Kota Kinabalu today that Musa had chaired a task force back in 1991 which was designed to register foreigners as Umno members after giving them citizenships, news portal Malaysiakini reported.
“When Umno first entered Sabah, this task force was formed, and the chief was none other but Musa Aman himself,” Chong was quoted as telling the five-man commission chaired by Tan Sri Steve Shim.
“This has nothing to do with race or religion. This is pure politics,” he reportedly said.
Chong told the commission the government exercise was carried out under “Project IC” to raise the state’s Muslim population, which enabled Umno to gain a foothold in the local political landscape.
He claimed the number of Malays in the north Borneo state grew by 1,552 per cent between 1970 and 2000, nearly 10 times the rate of the indigenous Kadasan, Dusun, and Murut people and surpassed the 344 per cent growth of the Bajau community.
He was reported to have rejected the possibility that the sharp increase was due to delayed registration of births among the natives living deep in the interior who were hampered by lack of access to government offices.
Chong told the commission that the higher number of Muslim-majority electoral constituencies at 33, compared to Chinese or non-Muslim Bumiputera, proved that the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN)’s anchor party had “achieved its target”.
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. - malaymail
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Project IC is the name used in Malaysia to describe the allegation of systematic granting of citizenship to immigrants (whether legal or otherwise) by giving them identity cards and subsequently its current iteration, the MyKad. The alleged practice is centred in the state of Sabah in East Malaysia. The term is used mainly by the media as well as other political commentators and the general public. Another term used is Project M,[1] the "M" referring to former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad due to his alleged involvement in the spearheading of the project.[2][3]
The alleged object of Project IC is to alter the demographic pattern of Sabah to make it more favourable to the ruling government and certain political parties, especially with regards to changing the electoral voting patterns. Former senator and state assemblyman Chong Eng Leong alleged in 2012 that there are 700,000 "Project IC citizens" and that 200,000 of them are on the state electoral roll.[4]
The project, in its widespread and intensive form, is suspected to have begun in the early 1990s after the entry of United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) into Sabah politics. However, there were also allegations of mass immigration and naturalisation of migrants in the 1970s under the United Sabah National Organisation (USNO) government, and in the early 1980s under BERJAYA government.[5] On a nationwide scale, illegal immigration is a major social issue. The problem is linked with alleged phantom voters also seen in other parts of Malaysia during elections.
Background
[edit]
North Borneo (Sabah) together with Sarawak, Singapore, and Malaya together formed the federation of Malaysia on 16 September 1963. Sabah was multiracial state with no clear majority race, but with the Kadazan-Dusun as the largest ethnic group. Unlike other states in Peninsular Malaysia, the majority of natives or bumiputras in Sabah are non-Muslims. In 1960, the state comprised:[5]
· 32% Kadazan-Dusuns,
· 23% Chinese,
· 15.8% Other Muslims,
· 13.1% Bajaus,
· 5.5% Indonesians
· 4.9% Muruts,
· 1.6% Filipinos and
· 0.4% Malays.
Based on this ethnic composition, the Kadazan-Dusun dominated the political scene and the first chief minister appointed was Tun Fuad Stephens, a Kadazan-Dusun. Tun Fuad played an important role in the negotiations involving the independence of Sabah together with Tun Mustapha, a Bajau. After the formation, Tun Mustapha was made governor (Yang di-Pertua Negeri). Subsequent to this, various political parties, mostly racially based, took turns in helming government. Tun Mustapha's United Sabah National Organisation (USNO) took control of the state in 1967. The mainly Bajau Muslim party relied on Muslim votes in elections. Similarly for other Kadazan-based party or Chinese-based party, who rely on votes from their respective communities. Later, BERJAYA took control of the state. This party was more multiracial in its composition of member, but was headed by Muslim leaders such as Harris Salleh. There had been allegations of mass naturalisation of illegal immigrants during the tenure of Tun Mustapha and Harris Salleh including the deliberate classification of immigrants under the name pribumi during the reign of BERJAYA.[6]
There was even one instance of Harris Salleh openly admitting to carrying out and planning to overwhelm the demography of Sabah in favour of Muslims.[5] During the Royal Commission of Inquiry on illegal immigrants in Sabah in 2013, Harris Salleh also stated that the issuance of identity card and granting of citizenship to refugees were done legally in accordance with the Federal Constitution and the relevant United Nations charter.[7] He added that Malaysia's first prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman had announced in early 1970 that Muslim refugees can stay in Malaysia while non-Muslim refugees may prefer to go elsewhere.[7]
Meanwhile, on a national level, politics were dominated by UMNO, a Malay-based party. Both USNO and BERJAYA had worked closely with UMNO at certain points in history. In 1985, a largely Kadazan-Dusun party, Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), won in the state election that year. The 1986 Sabah riots ensued in shortly after the results were announced to bring down the party president, Joseph Pairin Kitingan, as chief minister. In 1990, BERJAYA and USNO, decided to dissolve their party and form the Sabah chapter of UMNO. This party relied on membership from Muslim citizens of Sabah, be they Bajau, Suluk, Bugis, or others. The practice of naturalising immigrants was further intensified to guarantee their dominance in Sabah. They realised a great potential in altering the demography in their favour since most immigrants into Sabah were Muslims from Indonesia and southern Philippines. Later in 1994, UMNO managed to get hold of the government despite losing in the elections that year. In 2006, the estimated ethnic composition of Sabah are as follows:[8]
· 25% Non-citizens,
· 17.76% Kadazan-Dusuns,
· 14.62% Other Bumiputras,
· 13.4% Bajaus,
· 11.48% Malays,
· 9.6% Chinese,
· 4.8% Others,
· 3.3% Muruts.
Project IC is not so concerned with the 25% of non-citizens as this denotes immigrants without Malaysian ICs. The main point of contention when comparing the statistics for 1960 and 2006 is with regards to the sharp increase of "Malays", as well as the large number of "Other Bumiputras". There is also the significant drop in the percentage of the non-Muslim population, namely, Kadazan-Dusuns, Muruts, and Chinese. After Barisan Nasional regained power in 1994, the rotation system was introduced, whereby the chief minister's post is rotated among the representatives of the three different communities in Sabah, namely, the Muslim Bumiputras, Non-Muslim Bumiputras, and the Chinese. However, after 2005, BN decided to do away with the rotation system, giving the post to UMNO's representative, led by Musa Aman. Following the 2008 state election, BN controlled the state winning 59 out of 60 state assembly seats on offer. Out of the 59 BN seats, 32 are from UMNO, while the rest are held by various predominantly non-Muslim parties.[9]
Modus operandi
[edit]
The project is a complex matter involving political parties as well as government agencies including the Election Commission of Malaysia, the National Registration Department and the Immigration Department, which comes under the purview of the Ministry of Home Affairs. The suspicions and allegations on the existence of Project IC started around the mid-1990s.
In 1999, a petition was made to nullify the results of the 1999 state election for the constituency of Likas based on the thousands of dubious names found on the electoral roll. The seat was won by Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) candidate, president, and former chief minister, Yong Teck Lee. SAPP is part of the Barisan Nasional coalition. The petitioner was Chong Eng Leong of Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), who lost that seat. PBS was at that time not part of the BN coalition. One of the witness at the petition was Mutalib Mohd Daud, the former Silam Umno Division Executive Secretary. Mutalib was from Peninsular Malaysia and migrated to Sabah in the 1970s. He noted at the petition that among the 43,000 newly recruited UMNO members only 14,000 had genuine identity cards.[10]
Mutalib had written books exposing accounts of questionable granting of citizenship to foreigners. Among his books were IC Palsu: Merampas Hak Anak Sabah (1999) (Fake IC: Taking Away the Rights of Sabahans), Pengundi Untuk Disewa (Voters for Rent), IC Projek Agenda Tersembunyi Mahathir? (2006) (IC Project, Mahathir's Hidden Agenda?), and Lelaki Malaysia Terakhir (2007) (The Last Malaysian).
Another witness was UMNO's chief information officer Karim bin Ghani who was alleged to have written a letter to all UMNO branches in Sabah. The letter purportedly contained directions on the handling of Project IC. Karim claimed that he did not write the letter and that his signature was forged. The judge viewed his bare denial with deep suspicion.[10]
The judge presiding the petition, Justice Muhammad Kamil bin Awang, ruled in favour of the petitioner and declared that the 1999 election result for Likas a nullity. He mentioned in his judgment that he had received instructions over the phone to have the petitions struck out without hearing—an instruction which he dutifully ignored.[10]
In 2007, the former Sandakan district chief Hassnar Ebrahim made a statement confessing being involved in Project IC. He was a former detainee of the Internal Security Act in 1998. He testified in the petition for the annulment of the Likas state assembly district election in 1999.[11] Hassnar exposed in specific details of the modus operandi of project of which he had witnessed. He mentioned a secret meeting between former Sabah chief minister Harris Salleh and federal minister Megat Junid Megat Ayub in Hong Kong.[12] Hassnar claimed that 130,000 illegal immigrants were given ICs in 1985 alone. He also claimed that the aim of the operation was to increase the Muslim population of Sabah.[5] DR M.
It has been said that the project was a secret policy of the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, in particular the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), to attain political domination in the state using the votes of these immigrants.[5] The immigrants are picked from those communities which would more closely resemble the Malay culture or those who would most easily be assimilated into Malay culture. Main indicators would be if the immigrants were Muslims and if they speak Malay.[5] It was acknowledged by the judge in the 1999 Likas petition in reference to 'Ops Gembeling', that the target of the operation were the "Malays of Bugis origin".[10]
In response to a 2007 Parliamentary Select Committee, popular Malaysian news blog Malaysia Today alleges that UMNO had made a deal with the government of Libya and the Abu Sayyaf militant Islamic group in the Philippines to bring in 1 million new Muslim voters from Philippines into Sabah.[13]
Former Parti Keadilan Rakyat vice-president Jeffrey Kitingan alleges that there are 600,000 immigrants with ICs out of an estimated 1.7 million foreigners in Sabah.[11] The estimated population in Sabah in 2006 was 2,997,000.[8] Most of the foreigners in Sabah are from Indonesia and the Philippines.
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