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Mahathir Vs Anwar: Who is the Inveterate Liar at RCI (Sabah)?by dinobeano |
September 22, 2013
MY COMMENT: Consider it a privilege or a misfortune. I worked with both Tun Dr.
Mahathir, my hometown hero, and Anwar, the ambitious and impatient
former UMNO superstar. Their styles are different. The Tun was a
hands-on manager with an attention for details; so nothing escapes him.
That is why I cannot accept his "saya sudah lupa' or "saya tak ingat"
excuses. He is an amazing politician who operates astutely and acts
decisively. He could have been a great leader if he could be humble
enough to acknowledge that he is not infallible.
Mahathir, my hometown hero, and Anwar, the ambitious and impatient
former UMNO superstar. Their styles are different. The Tun was a
hands-on manager with an attention for details; so nothing escapes him.
That is why I cannot accept his "saya sudah lupa' or "saya tak ingat"
excuses. He is an amazing politician who operates astutely and acts
decisively. He could have been a great leader if he could be humble
enough to acknowledge that he is not infallible.
Anwar
Ibrahim was his student; whether he is a good or a poor student is
another matter. But he is an equally shrewd politician with a excellent
oratorical skills. But unlike Mahathir, Anwar is bored with details.
That makes him a big picture politician Because of his past experiences
in UMNO and his subsequent persecution, he is very cautious and does not
trust people around him easily. In dealing with people, he is someone
who believes that he can sell ice to an Eskimo by smooth talk and lofty
ideals.
My
exposure to both of them makes me realise that politics is not my cup
to tea. In politics, a capacity to lie is a distinct advantage. Their
performance at the RCI Sabah merely confirms my view that they are
incapable of telling the truth. Everything they both do is politically
motivated. So I am not disappointed about what they said at the recent
RCI hearings. --Din Merican
Mahathir Vs Anwar: Who is the Inveterate Liar at RCI (Sabah)?
COMMENT:
Either Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad or Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is an
inveterate liar when they both spoke before the Royal Commission of
Inquiry (RCI) on illegal immigrants in Sabah. The whole world wants to
know if the former Prime Minister and his Deputy knew anything about
Project IC – a sinister scheme to indiscriminately issue identity cards
to illegal immigrants in Sabah for a political purpose.
Mahathir
ruled the country from 1981 to 2003 and Anwar was his Deputy from 1993
until 1998. For 22 long years, the doctor presided over the destiny of
the country and surely he must have been privy to many secret schemes
carried out either to discredit his political opponents or tighten
UMNO’s grip on power. Anwar’s stay in the cabinet was shorter but he
served the government for 16 years and surely he too must have got wind
of some nefarious strategies designed to change the demographic
landscape of some states like Sabah.
Project
IC allegedly started in the early 1990s after Umno planted its foot in
Sabah. As soon as UMNO took root in this rich soil, it set in motion a
chain of events that eventually saw the ascendancy of the Malay-based
party in Sabah politics. A native party, Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), once
a powerhouse in the mid-1980s, was eclipsed with the entry of UMNO.
Let
us not delve deeper into the murky politics of Sabah. Suffice it to say
that the cover on Project IC was first lifted in 1999 when a court in
Sabah nullified the result of the 1999 state election for the Likus seat
based on the fact that thousands of dubious names were on the electoral
roll. Project IC was mentioned in court although one of the witnesses,
an UMNO chief information officer, denied its existence. It was a
tangled web of intrigue involving government agencies such as the
National Registration Department (NRD), the Immigration Department,
National Civics Bureau and the Election Commission. All seemed to
conspire to register illegal immigrants as voters.
Over
the years strong evidence of the existence of Project IC emerged and
voices in Sabah grew shriller in protest. Even the RCI heard the
testimony of a former NRD officer who said that about 100,000 blue
identity cards were issued to immigrants in Sabah in 1993. How was it
possible that Sabah was suddenly flooded with immigrants if not for
Project IC? Where did the foreigners get their blue identity cards from?
Why was it that most of the new citizens were mostly Muslims from
Indonesia and the southern Philippines? There must be some truth in the
allegations that the unwanted foreigners were given their ICs so that
they would all vote for Umno and guarantee its dominance for many years.
Now
where was Mahathir when all these disturbing events took place? Was he
hiding under the bed? Was he busy globe-trotting? Has he forgotten that
Sabah is part of Malaysia? He was the supreme leader and yet at the RCI
hearing the doctor said he had never heard about Project IC. He must
have suffered from a massive attack of amnesia. On all other national
affairs his mind is clear but when it comes to Project IC his mind went
blank. He chose the easy way out: he put all the blame on Anwar.
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Where
was Anwar when blue identity cards were showered on the immigrants? Was
he in deep slumber? Was he deliberately kept in the dark about Project M
(Mahathir)? Was he busy fostering ties with the Western world? He was
the second most powerful man in the country and yet he too said he never
knew there was such a secret scheme dubbed “Project IC”. He too chose
the easy way out: he put all the blame on Mahathir. He even called his
former boss a liar.
Now
what are we to make of this farcical scene? How can the truth be
revealed? Twist Mahathir’s arm until he confesses? Use waterboarding
technique on Anwar until he croaks out an admission of guilt? Clearly,
the two men were using the RCI platform to continue their political
duel. Each was trying to get political mileage out of this mud-slinging
match.
The
whole inquiry is rapidly descending into a circus because no one seems
to be taking the investigation seriously. Nowhere in the RCI terms of
reference is there any mention of giving the panel the powers of
prosecution. Even if the RCI were to pronounce Mahathir or Anwar or both
guilty of committing a crime against the people of Sabah, these two
protagonists on the country’s political stage would walk away unscathed.
When the RCI finally folds up its tent, Sabah will be no better than
before: immigrants will continue to pour in until the identity of the
state is erased.
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