It will be an invaluable opportunity to uncover the black operations behind elections in Malaysia, says Suaram's Kua Kia Soong.
PETALING JAYA: Suaram today called on the Sabah Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to subpoena Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Anwar Ibrahim in its ongoing probe into illegal immigrants.
Suaram adviser Kua Kia Soong said the RCI “must spare no effort” in revealing how citizenships had been given out clandestinely to illegal immigrants and refugees under the Mahathir administration.
Anwar was then in charge of Sabah operations.
“This RCI on immigrants in Sabah is an invaluable opportunity for us all to uncover the black operations behind elections in Malaysia,” Kua said in a statement.
“The perpetrators of this electoral deceit must be brought to justice,” he added, reiterating the need for the RCI to subpoena Dr M and Anwar.
Kua then claimed the current Najib administration had only acceded to Sabahans’ demands for an RCI for political mileage ahead of the 13th general election.
“The RCI had been demanded by Sabahans for years… Umno just couldn’t evade their demand anymore,” he said.
“Sabahans have had it up to there. And that is why (Najib) had to accede to their demand for a RCI if he was to try and keep his ‘fixed deposit’ in Sabah,” he added.
Implement recommendations
Kua cautioned the failure of the RCI to bring this inquiry to a satisfactory conclusion “will forever bring into question the legitimacy of elections in Malaysia”.
He added the government must also follow recommendations proposed by the RCI and questioned BN’s lack of implementation, and cited two examples.
The first was the royal commission on local government in the 60s headed by Athi Nahappan which recommended that local government elections be restored
The more recent one is recommendation for the setting up of Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission to improve the image of the police force.
“We are still waiting for these recommendations to be implemented,” said Kua.
“We expect more of Pakatan Rakyat if they do come to power, including implementing the recommendations cited and prosecuting those responsible for tarnishing the institutions of free and fair elections in Malaysia.”
PETALING JAYA: Suaram today called on the Sabah Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to subpoena Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Anwar Ibrahim in its ongoing probe into illegal immigrants.Suaram adviser Kua Kia Soong said the RCI “must spare no effort” in revealing how citizenships had been given out clandestinely to illegal immigrants and refugees under the Mahathir administration.
Anwar was then in charge of Sabah operations.
“This RCI on immigrants in Sabah is an invaluable opportunity for us all to uncover the black operations behind elections in Malaysia,” Kua said in a statement.
“The perpetrators of this electoral deceit must be brought to justice,” he added, reiterating the need for the RCI to subpoena Dr M and Anwar.
Kua then claimed the current Najib administration had only acceded to Sabahans’ demands for an RCI for political mileage ahead of the 13th general election.
“The RCI had been demanded by Sabahans for years… Umno just couldn’t evade their demand anymore,” he said.
“Sabahans have had it up to there. And that is why (Najib) had to accede to their demand for a RCI if he was to try and keep his ‘fixed deposit’ in Sabah,” he added.
Implement recommendations
Kua cautioned the failure of the RCI to bring this inquiry to a satisfactory conclusion “will forever bring into question the legitimacy of elections in Malaysia”.
He added the government must also follow recommendations proposed by the RCI and questioned BN’s lack of implementation, and cited two examples.
The first was the royal commission on local government in the 60s headed by Athi Nahappan which recommended that local government elections be restored
The more recent one is recommendation for the setting up of Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission to improve the image of the police force.
“We are still waiting for these recommendations to be implemented,” said Kua.
“We expect more of Pakatan Rakyat if they do come to power, including implementing the recommendations cited and prosecuting those responsible for tarnishing the institutions of free and fair elections in Malaysia.”
9 comments:
"Instead of politicising the RCI, the opposition, particularly its de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, should come forward and assist the RCI by providing information he has on the issue," says deputy Sabah Umno chief Datuk Seri Salleh Said, noting that Anwar was a key part of the decision-making process in the 1990s by virtue of his position as the second most important leader in Malaysia then.
Perhaps Sabahans should revisit events after the 1994 state election which was won narrowly by Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) to reflect on how Anwar has changed his tune on the issue now that he is in the opposition.
One would recall how Anwar, as the then deputy prime minister and the BN director of the 1994 state election, vehemently opposed the suggestion by PBS president Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan to the formation of the RCI.
Unlike Anwar, Pairin has never wavered in his fight for a solution to the illegal immigrant issue, from the time he was in the opposition and now as a key member of the ruling coalition.
Some testimonies adduced from witnesses in the RCI have appeared to portray PBS as the victim of so-called electoral fraud through alleged granting of Malaysian identity cards to foreigners in the 1994 state election, but Pairin, unlike the opposition, has shown his political wisdom yet again by opting to wait for the RCI to complete its investigation before making any comment or drawing any conclusion.
"All parties should give room to the smooth-running of the proceedings by the RCI under the terms stipulated by the government before making any evaluation," he says.
"According to normal practice under the law, the information and data must come from witnesses, then we view what has been obtained and make a more intelligent evaluation than at present."
The inquiry under a five-member panel headed by former chief judge of Sabah and Sarawak Tan Sri Steve Shim Lip Kiong has been given six months to investigate, among others, allegations that foreigners were given Malaysian citizenship through the back door and swelled Sabah's population by a third to 3.2 million.
Sabahans should give Najib overwhelming support in the coming 13th general election for his tremendous courage in making the RCI a reality. They should feel vindicated and come away with a sense of satisfaction that their prime minister is on their side.
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