STAR ASKS IF RCI DENYING PROJEK IC, QUESTIONS SILENCE ON ISSUE

STAR asks if RCI denying Projek IC, questions silence on issue

KOTA KINABALU June 4, 2012:  STAR Sabah appreciates that the RCI will be carried out but has a lot of reservations about its effectiveness, or if it will achieve anything meaningful before the next general election.

Its chairman, Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan, said in a statement here that by the wordings of the Prime Minister’s announcement, the biggest issue about the whole problem of illegal immigrant problem in Sabah has been overlooked or possibly denied.

“How come there is no mention of  Projek IC?” Jeffrey demanded.

“If this infamous project is denied or not included in the RCI’s Terms of Reference it would amount to gross injustice to Sabahans, and allowing the culprits responsible for the unbelievable increase in Sabah’s population over three decade go free. Without addressing  Project IC, the RCI would just be flogging the wrong horse,” he added.

“And it would amount to nothing more than a gimmick and an eyewash.”

He also believed that the long overdue announcement of the RCI reflected the insincerity of the government and raises a lot of questions especially when there are evidences of continuing MyKad issuance to foreigners long after the formation of the RCI in February.

“This issuance of MYKads are especially prevalent in the East Coast towns of Lahad Datu and Semporna, and even in the Interior district of Keningau,” he claimed.

“I must also make it known that our sources have revealed that there was an operation to destroy 60,000 documents in the various departments in the last few months. Could these documents be incriminating evidences of the Project IC?” he demanded.

Jeffrey also didn’t believe that the RCI was meant to be completed before the next general election, and if that was so, then it will be merely for the BN government to fulfil some political objectives.

He said to be meaningful it should be speeded up and completed before the general election and the general election should then be delayed until early next year.

“There should be no election before it is completed because its findings will be related to electoral rolls,” he said.

“The RCI can be completed within the available time if the government doesn’t continue to purposely drag its feet. Don’t forget that the Cobbold Commission managed to complete its Commission of Inquiry within a few months in 1962.”

“And to show transparency, the RCI must also include both the government and opposition representatives in its committee. The government should also get international non-partisan representatives, especially the chairman,” he demanded.

“This is because the RCI will have to investigate the allegation of the government’s complicity in reverse ethnic cleansing in Sabah.

It cannot be trusted to investigate its own possible wrongdoings.”