Mindanao was suffering from an armed conflict that lasted for more than 40 years since the early 1970s. The Bangsa Moro Muslims were fighting for self-determination (just like the Muslims from Southern Thailand) and, up to 2007, the conflict had claimed 120,000 lives, many of them civilians. More than a million people were made homeless and destitute and an estimated 200,000 to 300,000 refugees had taken refuge in neighbouring Sabah.

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Malaysia Today wrote about this matter some years back after meeting some of those involved in the incident, including some of those who were detained under the Internal Security Act because of their involvement.

One of those people I met and talked to was Hassnar Ebrahim, a PKR Sabah leader at the time I first met him at Anwar Ibrahim’s house in Damansara. I actually met up with Hassnar and his wife a number of times since then and eventually we became close family friends. I have not met him since I left Malaysia in February 2009 though.

Hassnar’s comments can be read below in the Bernama report, which is consistent with what he and the others told me. There are two other reports below that, one by Bernama and another by fz.com, which may also be of interest to you.

From my understanding of this issue, this Projek IC (or Projek M, as some call it) was not one episode but a series of episodes. And at different times it happened due to different reasons.

One reason was actually quite genuine. And this was related to the war in Mindanao.

Mindanao was suffering from an armed conflict that lasted for more than 40 years since the early 1970s. The Bangsa Moro Muslims were fighting for self-determination (just like the Muslims from Southern Thailand) and, up to 2007, the conflict had claimed 120,000 lives, many of them civilians. More than a million people were made homeless and destitute and an estimated 200,000 to 300,000 refugees had taken refuge in neighbouring Sabah.

Hence when I said ‘genuine’ I meant that they were genuine War Refugees just like the Burmese, Vietnamese, Cambodians, those from Southern Thailand, etc., who also came to Malaysia to seek refuge from the war, death and destruction in their own countries.

On humanitarian grounds the Bangsa Moro Muslims must certainly be accorded refugee status -- as were the Burmese, Vietnamese, Cambodians, those from Southern Thailand, etc., who had been escaping to Malaysia since the 1970s.

In fact, back in the 1970s, Malaysia was heavily criticised by the international community for not wanting to give these people refugee status. Hence, due to this bad publicity, Malaysia had to reluctantly allow the UNHCR to set up base in Malaysia to manage this refugee problem.

Furthermore, when Tun Dr Mahathir took over as Prime Minister in 1981, he tried to block these refugees from coming into Malaysia and he got whacked good and proper -- by Malaysians as well as foreigners. Dr Mahathir had to subsequently do a U-turn and say that he was ‘misinterpreted’ (“I said shoo them, not shoot them”, explained Dr Mahathir). Due to international pressure, Dr Mahathir had to relent and go along with the UNHCR and allow Malaysia to be used as a base to house these refugees.

That was one reason for the many illegal immigrants in Malaysia, some who eventually chose to remain in Malaysia and become Malaysian citizens. They refused to go home to their original countries to face the hardship and possible death due to the fighting.

Let us, however, just talk about Sabah, the bone of contention for many and the focus of the ongoing RCI investigation.

Now, we must understand that the Mindanao war is only one of the factors for this influx of refugees. And not just one government was involved. Back in the 1970s, when the war first erupted, the USNO government allowed these refugees into Sabah. In the 1980s, the Berjaya government did the same. In the late 1980s/early 1990s it was the PBS government. And after that it was the Umno government.

Hence, since war erupted in the early 1970s in Mindanao, all the governments ever to take power in Sabah were either in a small way or a big way involved in this.

Now, I am not saying that Dr Mahathir’s hands are clean. But he was Prime Minister from 1981 to 2003. And this has been going on since the 1970s and, according to Anwar Ibrahim -- in his statement, which you can read below -- it is still going on till this very day.

The question we need to ask is, was it the policy (official or unofficial, as the case may be) of the Malaysian government to absorb refugees from (Southern) Thailand, Burma, Cambodia, Vietnam, the Philippines (Mindanao), etc? I know that Malaysia was pressuring the west to take these refugees but the west was only prepared to take some of them and not all of them. Hence Malaysia was lumbered with those that the West did not want.

I was involved in the Terengganu Rotary Club back in the 1970s and we used to visit the Vietnamese refugees to give them aid such as old clothes and food. I was also involved in helping some of the Southern Thailand political refugees to settle down in Terengganu (some were on Thailand’s most wanted list -- my Tok Guru, Abdul Rahman Pattani, as one example). Hence I have personal knowledge of this matter and sometimes was even directly involvement in giving humanitarian aid.

Undoubtedly, although some of these refugees would qualify as genuine, these were not the only people allowed into Malaysia and eventually given Malaysian citizenship (after the west had rejected them for citizenship). There are also another two categories.

One category would be the illegal immigrants given citizenship by the syndicate for purely monetary gains. Then we have the category that was given citizenship for election purposes.

Hence, by my reckoning, we have three categories to consider.

The first category is justified. Even the US, Canada, Australia, some European countries, and so on, classified them as refugees and took them in -- as did Malaysia.

The second category is purely greed. Some people were making dirty money selling identity cards -- just like they make money selling driving licences (which is probably more than half the Malaysian drivers).

And the third category is purely political -- to pad the electoral roll by creating ‘new voters’. And in the case of Sabah, all the government since USNO right up to today are guilty of this third category.

Let us hope the RCI gets to the bottom of this and separate the wheat from the chaff. While we certainly want to nail those who personally profited from selling Malaysian citizenship, plus those who padded the electoral roll with ‘new citizens’, we do not want to lose our humanitarian spirit by denying asylum to those who would suffer or die if sent back to their war-torn countries.

I feel that both Dr Mahathir and Anwar Ibrahim must be called to testify in the RCI, as should all those others in power since the 1970s until today. They know more than what they are telling us. There is more than meets the eye here and finger pointing is not the right way to go.

Hassnar and those others from Sabah whom I met told me a lot of stories (some stories involving Nur Misuari, Muammar Gaddafi, kidnappings, ransom money, etc). But that would be mere hearsay and not admissible in the RCI hearing (remember 'reliably informed'?). Let them tell their own story as to what happened, especially in those incidences where they were personally involved.

And the two people who must not be exempted from telling the RCI what really happened would be Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Anwar Ibrahim.

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Project IC boils over in Sabah

Newmond Tibin, Bernama

(Bernama, Jan 2007) -- Former Internal Security Act (ISA) detainee Hassnar Ebrahim shocked a lot of people, particularly the locals, when he exposed a Malaysian identification card (IC) scam or known as Project IC in Sabah, in a recent interview with a local newspaper.

The locals here are stunned as many of them who reside in the state's interiors have yet to own the sophisticated Malaysian IC or MyKad, but based on Hassnar's claims, it seems that the card was easily accessible to foreigners.

While Project IC is not a new issue in Sabah, it continues to be debated by many who express concern as the matter is related to the issue of illegal immigrants in Sabah, which is perceived as the mother of all social woes in the state.

Hassnar, an entrepreneur, confessed that he unknowingly became involved with others who made it possible for thousands of foreigners to secure Malaysian ICs.

The former Sandakan district chief, while refusing police's request to make a statement on the issue, however, is willing to give testimony in court.

Hassnar was detained under the ISA on Aug 9, 1998 for two months, and then placed under house arrest for two years in Sandakan from Sept 6, 1998. He was also among the material witnesses in the Likas election petition trial in 1999.

Meanwhile, Sabah Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) deputy chairman Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan has claimed that currently there are 1.7 million foreigners in Sabah, including 600,000 who possess the ICs.

Responding to the allegation, former Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak challenged Dr Jeffrey to list the names of the 1.7 million people but the latter has so far not done so.

Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman said the state government viewed the matter very seriously and was doing all it could to solve it.

He asked those who exposed the issue to come forward and cooperate with the police.

"Do not simply talk through the newspapers. Cooperate with the authorities," said Musa, who also directed the National Registration Department (NRD) and the Immigration Department to explain the issue to the public in the interest of all.

Following the expose, Sabah police commissioner Datuk Mohd Mokhtar Hassan had requested Hassnar to assist police in the investigation.

He said the police could not complete the investigation into Project IC without the cooperation of those with information.

As such, the police were putting Hassnar's statement on the issue on record to speed up the investigation, he added.

Mohd Mokhtar said the police would not arrest Hassnar or anyone without sufficient proof to link them with the criminal activity.

Several residents here met by Bernama, however, admitted they were from the Philippines and had secured the Malaysian IC through the said project.

"True. Project IC exists. I secured my IC from the project in the early 1980's," said Fuad Arif from Tawi-Tawi island, the Philippines, who now resides in Kampung Sabang in Menggatal, near here, with his family.

According to him, he came to Sabah in the mid-1970s with his parents, and they had stayed at Pulau Mantanani before moving to the village.

"After living here for several years, I finally received my Malaysian IC in 1984. At that time, a middleman came to our village to distribute the cards.

"I still remember the middleman coming to every house in the village to fill up forms for the IC and collect the fee of about RM10 each for stamp duty.

"One of the documents used to support the IC application was the late birth certificate registration letter," he recalled.

Fuad said that once the ICs were ready, the middleman would return to the village to distribute the cards to the residents, who were immigrants and had lived there for a long time.

In fluent Bahasa Melayu, he said that his family believed that they would have a better future in Sabah compared to Tawi-Tawi.

"There is no unrest here. We are free to roam anywhere we want. We can go to Tanjung Aru, Mount Kinabalu or Kota Kinabalu," said Fuad, who is the holder of the IC bearing registration number H0504933.

Earlier, Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) secretary-general Radin Malleh had questioned the authenticity of ICs with numbers starting from H0288001 to H03840000, involving 96,000 holders; H0480001 to H05760000 (96,000); H0609601 to H0610000 (400); H0658001 to H0658200 (200); H0658401 to H0659000 (600); and H0666001 to H0666400 (400), saying he had taken up the matter in the Dewan Rakyat when he was the Member of Parliament for Tenom.

Another Kampung Sabang resident, Jamili Bungsu, 53, said the issuing of ICs under the project was rampant in the early 1980's until 1985.

"Just imagine, in the early 1980's at Kampung Pondo in Pulau Gaya (near Kota Kinabalu), there were only about 10 houses there. But the number soon increased to almost 500 squatter homes whose occupants were immigrants from the Philippines.

"It was not their fault that there were locals who were willing to arrange getting the ICs for them. Not many knew who were the masterminds behind the operation. It might have been done by those with high ranks as it was not easy to make an IC," he said.

Jaidy Kamlun, 26, from Kampung Pulau Gaya, said most immigrants who secured the ICs through the project had been living in the country for a long time and were involved in the state's development projects.

He said in Pulau Gaya alone, there were now more than 10,000 immigrants from a neighbouring country and most of them were helped by 'locals' to get the ICs.

"Of course the immigrants would grab the golden opportunity as it required no documents. Furthermore, they wanted to stay here. Most of them now have MyKads and can vote. As far as I know, the project not only benefited Filipinos, but those from Indonesia, India and China. The modus operandi was the same, that was, through a middleman."

He said it was unfair to link immigrants holding the ICs with criminal activities in Sabah.

"Perhaps some of them are involved in criminal activities or social problems but not all. Society's perception is inaccurate as we came here to earn a living.

"Our parents have lived in Sabah for a long time, and as a new generation, we do not desire to return to the Philippines. We are like the locals who love and are loyal to Malaysia," he said.

Jaidy supported the government's efforts to send back illegal immigrants to their home countries and prevent them from re-entering Malaysia.

"Let bygones be bygones. There is no need to determine whose fault it was. Let's work together towards a better Sabah," said Jaidy, who received his education up to Form Five here.

His views were echoed by his village friend, Tamskie Abdul Said, 36, who said that until now, nobody knew who were the masterminds of the IC project that involved Pulau Gaya residents.

"Project IC was different from those involving fake identification cards. The immigrants preferred Project IC as fake ICs did not allow voting rights and the holder would be repatriated if caught by the police," he said.

Several quarters including political parties and non-governmental organisations in Sabah have expressed concern over the existence of Project IC as it could threaten the country's security and deny genuine citizens employment opportunities as blue collar workers.

In this regard, they have appealed to the government to set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry to get to the bottom of the issue and ways to resolve it.

The state and federal governments are also aware of the illegal immigrant problem in Sabah.

Even the Barisan Nasional component parties including the PBS, United Pasok Momogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko), Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP), Liberal Democratic party (LDP) and Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS) have been vocal in expressing their concern over Project IC.

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Pak Lah denies any role in Sabah's Projek IC

(Bernama, Feb 2013) -- Former Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has denied opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's claim that he was involved in the 'Projek IC' in Sabah.

He said Anwar implicated him in the issue to cover his own wrongdoing.

"He (Anwar) is constantly blaming others. He will accuse other people and then he'll wash his hands off it. I know him too well," he told reporters after the presentation of 1Malaysia People's Assistance (BR1M) 2.0 to 262 Kepala Batas Chinese residents at the Tau Boin Temple Keong Hall here today.

Abdullah - who is the area's MP - was commenting on a press report which quoted Anwar as saying that the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) should investigate Abdullah and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak for their alleged involvement in the project.

Anwar who is also Permatang Pauh MP was also reported to have denied his involvement in the issue but said he was prepared to give his statement to the RCI.

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had earlier claimed that Anwar was directly involved in the project to issue citizenship and identity cards to ineligible foreigners in Sabah in the 90s.

He claimed that although Anwar did not give orders directly, he was always taking the initiative, sometimes more than was necessary.

Meanwhile, Abdullah said 12,060 people in his constituency were eligible for the first phase of the BR1M 2.0 and the distribution would be carried out throughout February.

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Anwar: 'Project IC' still ongoing

The ex-DPM denies that he initiated the project and claims it is still running under the current PM.

(fz.com, Feb 2013) -- Former deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim claimed today the task force behind "Project IC" was still ongoing under the current Najib administration.

Anwar said the task force started by former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was handed over to Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and was now under the current premier.

He also denied any involvement in Project IC, refuting an allegation repeated by Mahathir at a press conference yesterday. "Project IC" refers to allegations that many Muslim immigrants from Indonesia and Philippines were issued citizenship in Sabah since the 1990s. The issue has come under renewed scrutiny after a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) into the problem of illegal immigrants in Sabah began its hearings last month.

"I was not involved in the task force," Anwar told a press conference at party headquarters here.

"There should be a thorough investigation and ask all past and present Cabinet ministers...the task force was never tabled during a Cabinet meeting. There is no minute that showed my involvement in the task force, and there was never any report submitted to me  when I was the finance or the deputy prime minister," he said.

He also asked whether Mahathir was willing to deny his role behind "Project IC" and his appointment of former Cabinet members Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Shamsuddin and Tan Sri Megat Junid Megat Ayub to the task force.

"There are no records because it was a special task force operated by the prime minister (Mahathir) ...  It is also important to note that the task force is continuous. We should (ask) Tun Abdullah Badawi and Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

"Datuk Seri Najib as the prime minister is still operating the task force... this should be asked," said Anwar.

Yesterday, Mahathir had claimed at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur that Anwar was directly involved in the project to distribute identity cards to illegal immigrants in Sabah but admitted lacking proof that could stand scrutiny in court. Mahathir also added that so called "Project IC" was never his brainchild but his former's deputy initiative.

The RCI also heard testimony from Sabah NRD chief Ramli Kamaruddin, Tamparuli NRD chief Yakup Damsah, as well as a few migrants who had received their citizenship documents.

Among the panel's terms of reference are determining the number of immigrants in Sabah, investigating if blue identity cards or citizenship papers were issued to immigrants and whether they were registered in the electoral roll, and the abnormal increase in Sabah's population.

The RCI was also looking into allegations that Mahathir had initiated "Project IC" in Sabah to give citizenships to immigrants in exchange for their votes. The former prime minister has admitted granting citizenship to immigrants but stressed the exercise was within the law.

Tan Sri Harris Salleh, who was Sabah Chief Minister from 1976 to 1985, has also denied the existence of "Project IC."

Based on a 2010 census, 889,000 or 28% of Sabah's population are foreigners.