Jeffrey: Postpone polls in Sabah
Given the revelations at the RCI, Sabah STAR believes electoral rolls are tainted and needs to be cleaned up before the general elections.
Queville To, FMT
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah State Reform Party (STAR) chairman Jeffrey Kitingan has called for the suspension of the forthcoming 13th General Election until the electoral rolls in Sabah are cleaned up.
Commenting on the series of sensational revelations made by witnesses in the ongoing Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on issuance of Malaysian citizenship to both legal and illegal immigrants in Sabah, he said the current electoral rolls are tainted and should not be used.
He stressed that the revelations on phantom voters and illegitimate voters enabling fraudulent wins for Umno-BN candidates in the past is a clarion call for all Sabah leaders to join hands to oust the illegitimate government and to call for the suspension of the forthcoming general elections in Sabah until the electoral rolls are cleaned up.
“It distresses genuine Sabahans and Malaysians to hear the revelations at the RCI. It is confirming that even the worst of our nightmares on the poor governance of Sabah are nothing compared to what we are hearing,” said Jeffrey.
“We hear of illegal immigrants being given registration receipts and used as voters for hire to ensure wins for Umno/BN candidates including a former chief minister who would have lost if not for these voters for hire.”
He was referring to witnesses testimony that between RM10 and RM20 was paid to these voters to be bussed around to various constituencies in the state that were deemed opposition leaning areas to prop up the BN candidates in those areas.
In Friday’s public hearing, the RCI was told of foreigners who were born in India and had travelled to Sabah using Indian passports ended up as Malaysian citizens by making false claims of being born in Sabah. They were given Malaysian ICs and passports despite not living in the state or country for the rehired period and have since voted up to five times.
Present Sabah govt ‘illegitimate’
The witnesses, who are now voters told, the commission they were merely asked to sign forms while their place of birth, which was neither Sabah or any other part of Malaysia, was filled in by others and the ICs hand-delivered to them.
