Former prime minister Najib Razak denied that Barisan Nasional was involved in the identity card (IC) scandal, which allegedly involved giving MyKads to undocumented migrants to enable them to vote in elections.
Najib said during his time as prime minister between 2009-2018, he had put a PBS leader in charge of sorting out the issue, apparently referring to the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) into the illegal immigrant woes in Sabah in 2013, and the subsequent appointment of former PBS president Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan to head one of the committees to implement various recommendations from the RCI report.
Asked why Ongkili, a former minister in his Cabinet, had brought up the accusation during the recent PBS congress, Najib replied: “I don’t know why he did it”.
The IC scandal issue resurfaced after Sabah and Sarawak affairs minister Maximus Ongkili claimed a BN party had been giving MyKads to undocumented migrants.
He also claimed BN had failed to settle the migrant issue in Sabah.
Former Sabah chief minister Salleh Said Keruak said the claim by Ongkili was “insane” and uncalled for.
“I am angered to read news reports on this claim. Maximus is mad for claiming that a party in BN had used phantom voters and fake identity cards. If he names the party, we will report him to the police for slander.
“The royal commission of inquiry (RCI) that inquired into the matter had never identified who cheated,” he said.
Ongkili, who is Parti Bersatu Sabah chief, claimed a BN component party’s involvement in using undocumented migrants for its political interests had been proven by the RCI on illegal immigrants in Sabah.
Meanwhile, Sabah Umno chief Bung Moktar Radin has issued a warning to Ongkili not to “play with fire” when it comes to the BN coalition.
The Kinabatangan MP said PBS needed to stop stirring up the hornet’s nest as both Umno and BN were not defenceless.
“I want to warn the PBS president, don’t play with fire. Friends respect one another. Umno and BN have never betrayed their friends,” said Bung.
The Sabah deputy chief minister added that both Umno and BN were not defenceless but strong, and Ongkili would be at the losing end if he continued with his accusations.
Bung claimed PBS had done many things “to destroy Sabah” that have yet to be revealed.