The former strongman, fresh from denying any knowledge on the citizenship-for-votes scam, suggests that his former deputy would know more about the secret project.
KUALA LUMPUR: Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has once again alluded that his former deputy Anwar Ibrahim was the right person to be grilled on the controversial IC-for-votes project in Sabah in the 1990s.
Without naming Anwar today, Mahathir suggested that the former knew more about the project – dubbed Project IC/Project M – than he himself.
“If that is government policy, why didn’t he stop it? Is he going to lie to the commission and claim that I ask him to do all these?”
“He should know, he was my deputy,” he was quoted as saying by The Malaysian Insider news portal today.
When Mahathir was asked if he was referring to Anwar, he replied in jest: “Maybe.”
Earlier in January this year, Mahathir blamed Anwar as the main man behind citizenship-for-votes scam in Sabah, disputing Anwar’s previous claims of ignorance on the matter.
Mahathir said then that Anwar had, at times, acted without orders from him (Mahathir).
“He normally takes the initiative and sometimes do more [than is required]. What happens on the ground is often different from the directive [from above],” Mahathir had said.
He had said that Anwar and other implementing officers in Sabah had at times failed to follow instructions from him, adding that the government had taken action against these errant officers.
A week before that, Anwar told reporters that he was ready to testify at the RCI called to look into this matter but quickly added that he was also in the dark about the project.
“I have no problem whatsoever. I knew for a long time the project was under the prime minister, that it did not involve a Cabinet process, so it is the full responsibility of the prime minister and finance minister.
“When I was there, even I was not briefed on the issue [of providing citizenship to immigrants],” Anwar had said.
Anwar is now expected to testify before the Royal Commission of Inquiry in Kota Kinabalu on Sept 19.
The RCI started in January and is investigating claims that citizenship was given to illegal immigrants in Sabah during Mahathir’s administration.
Mahathir testified yesterday and said that he was not aware of Project IC, and blamed overzealous civil servants.
He however admitted that Sabah’s illegal immigrants were granted citizenship as the law allowed for it if a person had stayed in the country for more than 10 years.
Jeffrey: Anwar was in charge
Previously Sabah’s veteran politician Jeffrey Kitingan had told FMT that he hoped Anwar would “tell the truth” when he testifies in the RCI.
“However, I do hope he would tell the truth about his own role in the citizenship fiasco,” Jeffrey had said.
“From what I know, he was indeed in charge of Sabah [for Umno]. He was the director of operations and was involved actively in the citizenship project,” he added.
“I am very sure he was in the know of what was happening in Sabah at that time.”
“I am sure Anwar, being the second most powerful Umno leader at that period, would not have been ignorant of what the then prime minister and Umno were doing to win at all costs in Sabah,” he had said.
“As I said, he knows more about the citizenship project than many others and if he is indeed called up to testify at the RCI, I sincerely hope he would tell the truth,” he said.
KUALA LUMPUR: Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has once again alluded that his former deputy Anwar Ibrahim was the right person to be grilled on the controversial IC-for-votes project in Sabah in the 1990s.Without naming Anwar today, Mahathir suggested that the former knew more about the project – dubbed Project IC/Project M – than he himself.
“If that is government policy, why didn’t he stop it? Is he going to lie to the commission and claim that I ask him to do all these?”
“He should know, he was my deputy,” he was quoted as saying by The Malaysian Insider news portal today.
When Mahathir was asked if he was referring to Anwar, he replied in jest: “Maybe.”
Earlier in January this year, Mahathir blamed Anwar as the main man behind citizenship-for-votes scam in Sabah, disputing Anwar’s previous claims of ignorance on the matter.
Mahathir said then that Anwar had, at times, acted without orders from him (Mahathir).
“He normally takes the initiative and sometimes do more [than is required]. What happens on the ground is often different from the directive [from above],” Mahathir had said.
He had said that Anwar and other implementing officers in Sabah had at times failed to follow instructions from him, adding that the government had taken action against these errant officers.
A week before that, Anwar told reporters that he was ready to testify at the RCI called to look into this matter but quickly added that he was also in the dark about the project.
“I have no problem whatsoever. I knew for a long time the project was under the prime minister, that it did not involve a Cabinet process, so it is the full responsibility of the prime minister and finance minister.
“When I was there, even I was not briefed on the issue [of providing citizenship to immigrants],” Anwar had said.
Anwar is now expected to testify before the Royal Commission of Inquiry in Kota Kinabalu on Sept 19.
The RCI started in January and is investigating claims that citizenship was given to illegal immigrants in Sabah during Mahathir’s administration.
Mahathir testified yesterday and said that he was not aware of Project IC, and blamed overzealous civil servants.
He however admitted that Sabah’s illegal immigrants were granted citizenship as the law allowed for it if a person had stayed in the country for more than 10 years.
Jeffrey: Anwar was in chargePreviously Sabah’s veteran politician Jeffrey Kitingan had told FMT that he hoped Anwar would “tell the truth” when he testifies in the RCI.
“However, I do hope he would tell the truth about his own role in the citizenship fiasco,” Jeffrey had said.
“From what I know, he was indeed in charge of Sabah [for Umno]. He was the director of operations and was involved actively in the citizenship project,” he added.
“I am very sure he was in the know of what was happening in Sabah at that time.”
“I am sure Anwar, being the second most powerful Umno leader at that period, would not have been ignorant of what the then prime minister and Umno were doing to win at all costs in Sabah,” he had said.
“As I said, he knows more about the citizenship project than many others and if he is indeed called up to testify at the RCI, I sincerely hope he would tell the truth,” he said.
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