– The Malaysian Insider Jan 19, 2013
JAN 19 – It is a measure of how far Umno/MCA/MIC have fallen that not one of its members has leapt to the defence of Tunku Abdul Rahman in the wake of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s self-serving statement on the award of a million citizenships in the early days of Malaya.
Even a primary student can see that there is an ocean of difference between the award of citizenship by the Tunku Abdul Rahman and the insidious manner in which senior members of the Mahathir administration in the 1990s gave ICs to illegals in Sabah so that they could vote in the state elections and pervert the electoral system.
Tunku Abdul Rahman did not give citizenships to Chinese and Indians under the counter. It was an open exercise and it was not done to circumvent any election.
But just listen to the treason at play in Sabah since the 1990s to keep Barisan Nasional (BN) in power and dilute the position of the Kadazandusuns.
Just look at the phenomenal jump in Sabah’s population and the number of foreigners in the state holding blue or citizenship identity cards.
Money and ICs were given by Dr Mahathir’s acolytes without regard for national security and the sanctity of the electoral system.
It is vintage Dr Mahathir that when caught in a sticky situation he tries to deflect the blame.
But to try and justify the actions of his administration by dragging in the Father of Independence is just dishonest. And to even suggest a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI), be it in jest or sarcasm, is plainly undermining and insulting all those who became Malayans and Malaysians because they lived here long enough or were born here.
This is to be expected. Didn’t Dr Mahathir do the same during the infamous VK Lingam RCI where his role for subverting the judiciary was highlighted.
But what happened to the voices of MCA and MIC and Umno?
Aren’t their sensibilities troubled at least by the attempt to sully Tunku Abdul Rahman’s name and paint the legitimate attempt to give citizenship to Chinese and Indians like what was done in Sabah.