Taking the stand today was Mohamed Hussein, a Pashtun Pakistani, who in 1987 flew to Kuala Lumpur from Karachi using a Pakistani passport.
He subsequently flew to Kota Kinabalu before settling down in Tawau.
“In 1988, a Pakistani man accompanied by a few Malaysian men approached me and offered me Malaysian documentation,” Mohamed told the inquiry in the Kota Kinabalu High Court complex.
The condition, he said, was that he must intent to stay in Malaysia and must become a voter, though he was not told for which party to vote.
“They brought me to the National Registration Department, filled in the forms for me - as I could not read and write - then took my thumbprint and signature,” Mohamed said.
He then surrendered his Pakistani passport and received a temporary identification receipt.
He received his blue identity card in 1989, some two years after arriving in Malaysia, and became a voter in Papar.
Mohamed, who replied to questions in basic Malay, said he later applied for a Malaysian passport and had returned to Pakistan four to five times using the document.
He married an Indonesian woman in 2002, who still does not have papers, but both his children have Malaysian birth certificates and blue identity cards.
‘Never questioned’
Despite his obvious appearance of not being a local Sabahan, Mohamed said he had never been questioned before when applying for a Malaysian passport for upgrading his blue identity card to newer versions.
In a similar case, Aziz Kassim, who was from Tamil Nadu, India, arrived by plane to Kuala Lumpur with an Indian passport in 1980.
Testifying before the panel, Aziz said he subsequently flew to Labuan and then took a ferry to Kota Kinabalu where he worked at a restaurant.
“In 1987, some people who claimed to be government officers came and told me they could help me get an identity card.
“They filled in a form for me, and took my photograph, thumbprint and signature at the restaurant where I worked,” he said.
Four months later, Aziz said he received his blue identity card, along with a friend with whom he had travelled from India.
In 1995, he then applied for and received a Malaysian passport using his blue identity card, to return to India where he got married.
He then brought his wife back to Kota Kinabalu where he had her apply for permanent residence. All three of his children are Malaysian citizens.
‘I set up five restaurants’
In a story befitting the ‘Malaysian dream’, Aziz then applied for a business licence which was approved by the Kota Kinabalu City Hall, and went on to set up five restaurants in the city.
“But later business went bad and I suffered losses, so I closed them down and am only working as a cook now,” he said.
Asked if he had voted before, Aziz said he registered as a voter in 1991 and had voted four times in the Likas constituency.
In 1999, the state election for the constituency of Likas was declared null and void due to the discovery of dubious names in the electoral roll there.
Subsequently, former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad sought to amend the election laws, making it impossible for the electoral roll to be challenged by the courts.
A total of 29 witnesses had testified during the five-day session which concluded today.
The RCI will reconvene on Jan 29 with its second session until Feb 1, with a third session scheduled for Feb 22 to Feb 27.
Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak had yesterday declined to comment on revelations at the RCI about allegations of covert operations to make illegal immigrants into citizens in a bid to topple the then PBS-led Sabah government.
He had said that it was premature to weigh on the inquiry as there would be 167 more witnesses to be called. The official number of witnesses that will be called, which the RCI had informed the media, was 48.
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All parties should give room to the proceedings by the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) investigating the problems of illegal immigrants in Sabah before making any evaluation.
Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan, who is also Parti Bersatu Sabah president, said this was to ensure the smooth-running of the proceedings under the terms stipulated by the government.
“According to normal practice under the law, the information data must come from witnesses, then we view what have been obtained and make a more intelligent evaluation than at present,” he said when commenting on the RCI which ended its first public hearing at the Kota Kinabalu Court Complex,
The setting up of the RCI and appointments of its chairman and members was announced by Prime Minister Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak on Aug 11 last year to solve the problem of illegal immigrants in Sabah.
The hearing of the proceedings was headed by former Chief Justice of Sabah and Sarawak Tan Sri Steve Shim Lip Kiong.
The panelists were Universiti Malaysia Sabah ex-vice chancellor Profesor Datuk Seri Dr Kamaruzaman Ampon, Kuala Lumpur ex-police chief Datuk Henry Chin Poy Wu, former Sabah state secretary Datuk Kee Mustafa and ex-deputy Chief Minister and former state attorney-general Tan Sri Herman J.Luping.
Subsequent proceedings would be held on Jan 28-Feb 1 and Feb 22-Feb 27.
Hope that the truth about this will be investigate further by the RCI.
Find out who are the mastermind behind this.
Anyone who is found out to be involved will receive their consequences.
The Sabahans are expecting the RCI to resolve the problems we were facing regarding the illegal immigrants.
Hope that the end is almost near on the illegal immigrant issue.
pemberian mykad harus melalui kaedah yang betul.
It is better to wait for an outcome of the Royal Commission of Inquiry on Sabah's illegal immigrant problem before making any comments.
Several local Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders have expressed relief that the state’s prolonged immigrants problem may finally be resolved.
The leaders acknowledged that the incriminating stories of the clandestine “citizenships-for-votes” exchange with illegal foreigners could hurt their chances at the ballot boxes when federal polls are held.
The leaders acknowledged that the incriminating stories of the clandestine “citizenships-for-votes” exchange with illegal foreigners could hurt their chances at the ballot boxes when federal polls are held.
The leaders acknowledged that the incriminating stories of the clandestine “citizenships-for-votes” exchange with illegal foreigners could hurt their chances at the ballot boxes when federal polls are held.
But they pointed out that this proves Datuk Seri Najib Razak and BN’s sincerity in the promise to end the state’s over four-decades-old dilemma.
Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) information chief Datuk Johnny Mositun said that BN was not afraid to unearth every piece of evidence on the unchecked influx of foreigners into Sabah and the state’s unhealthy population boom.
He pointed out that details on the alleged “Projek IC” have in the past been repeatedly revealed, particularly during the Likas election petition case in the High Court, but no action had been taken then.
“I think since our government is sincere here with this RCI, I appeal, I appeal that investigations are carried out properly... prove this happened so that it can be resolved for good,” he said.
Sabah BN secretary Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan urged all parties not to “jump the gun” and to wait for the RCI panel’s decision once the hearing concludes and they agree on their recommendations.
“I do not want to sound like I am being prejudiced here, but think about the facts and the circumstances before you judge.
“Someone could come up there and say the fault belongs to another and so on and so forth and then who are we to blame?” he noted, adding that the blame has so far been heaped on Megat Junid, who is no longer alive to defend himself.
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