Mutalib: Project IC An "X-File"

Mutalib: Project IC An "X-File"
Posted by Erin
Tuesday, 29 July 2008 18:10
Mutalib Mohd Daud, who has conducted indepth studies on the obtaining of Malaysian ICs by foreigners in Sabah, felt that Project IC is itself like an "X-File." If the government wants to solve the issue of illegal migrants in Sabah, it needs to do it like operating a controller. Of course, if it presses the "+" key, then the alien population will move up and up.

As a result, whether the issue would eventually be resoved depends very much on "political will." However, he said pessimistically that so far he has not seen any resolution on the part of the government to seriously address this issue.

He said, although during the 1990s, there were 42 people arrested for their involvement in the issuance of Malaysian ICs to illegal migrants under the Project IC, the number of illegal migrants obtaining Malaysian ICs is still on the rise today.

Since he devoted himself to the studies of foreigners obtaining Malaysian ICs in 1997, Mutalib has published books on this issue, including Counterfeit ICs: The Rape of Sabahans' Rights (1999), Voters for Rent, Project IC: Mahathir's Agenda Behind (2006), and his latest 2007 book 007-The Last Malaysian.

There have been people lodging police reports based on Mutalib's revelations, including someone making a police report with his latest book 007-The Last Malaysian. However, no further investigations have been carried out.

He once testified in the Likas election lawsuit, and attended the hearing of the parliamentary committee on clean election headed by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Tan Sri Bernard Dompok and offered all the truths on the issue of illegal migrants in Sabah. Nevertheless, Bernard Dompok subsequently quit the chairman post in frustration after the directors general of National Registration Department and Immigration Department refused to attend the hearing.

Mutalib said, from the studies he had conducted, there have been 322,903 foreigners obtaining Malaysian ICs through illegal means, and at least 100,000 of them have registered as voters. If each of them has five children, and their children will automatically be granted citizenship, then the consequences will be way beyond imagination.

He felt that the situation now in Sabah is basically out of control, as illegal migrants have infiltrated into and controlled many economic sectors in the state.

Many people say the issues of illegal migrants and stateless children are like a time bomb. Mutalib said, in fact the time bomb has already exploded. Sabahans have already been drowned in the sea of illegal migrants.

The sad thing is, Mutalib said, Sabah is still producing new citizens in a rapid rate. With photographs and thumbprints, the "+" key on the controller in the X-File will still be activated.

Source : Malaysia Today