YOURSAY 'This man is not senile. He just wants to appear so in order to escape taking responsibility for what he has done.'

Dr M claims to be in the dark about 'Project IC'

Kingfisher: It is beyond rational believe how this one man who held preeminent power over the administration of the country for two decades and known for his reputation for meticulousness and authoritarian ways could have been unaware of something serious and treasonable as granting citizenship inappropriately.

Going by his past behaviour of denial on serious issues that impinge on his conduct as a government leader, one is left wondering why is it that institutions and agencies that act as our watchdog have not taken him to severe task by a thorough investigation of the various alleged infractions of his conduct.

His one major contribution to the nation it would seem has been to undermine "trust'' and trust is the social virtues for the creation of a peace and prosperity. Many would think that he may have brought prosperity to the nation but he most assuredly destroyed trust amongst the communities.

Oriole: Isn't it curious that men who worked for you (Mahathir) have admitted to this project's existence. This can only mean two things, either you were an incompetent leader who had no idea of what was happening in your administration or you are the most shameless liar this country has had the misfortune to have as a leader.

If it's the latter, tell us at what point in your life did you decide to lose all self-respect for yourself? More importantly, what a shameful legacy to leave your children and grandchildren.

Pemerhati: Dr Mahathir Mohamad said, "My name has been used for many things. They called me racist, ultra...". His very own minister and Umno colleague, Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz, has called him ‘bapa perkauman' or father of racism.

Mahathir used the racist strategy to endear himself to the majority Malays and stay in power and then realise his main objective of stealing as much of the people's money as possible. He is said to have stolen a whopping US$44 billion.

Thanks to the alternative media, many Malays in the urban areas have realised that they have been had by this constitutional Malay of Malayalee ancestry.

Unfortunately many Malays in the rural areas, whose only source of information is the Umno monopolised media, think that he and the corrupt and thieving Umno are their protectors and saviours.

Anticonment: He was the man who dismantled rule of law in the 80s, controls all government institutions and became a closet dictator. Together with the Election Commission and an entrenched election-cheating machinery, he holds the reins of power and the rakyat's coffers.

He knows he cannot be touched as he is in control of the executive, legislature and the judiciary. Only people power can remove dictators, but it must reach a critical mass to be effective.

Versey: Has anyone read of this piece of BBC news reported by Kate McGeown, titled ‘How do you solve a problem like Sabah?'?

If one were to read this piece of news, especially the part of the report under the headline ‘Secret militia', one will wonder why Malaysia had not been more discerning in its selection of immigrants from Philippines, particularly those from Sulu islands, to take up residence in Sabah.

Anticonmen: What sort of lame questioning is this? A ‘yes' or ‘no' line of questioning is not an inquiry. Facts and figures should have been taken from the National Registration Department and put to him to justify why the abnormal number of ICs approved during his tenure.

KB Menon: The biggest tragedy to befall Sabah is the entry of Umno in the state's politics. Sabah should have fought tooth and nail to keep peninsula political parties out of their system.

I believe Sabah has paid a price for this folly. Ever wondered why Umno Baru has no presence in Sarawak?

Broken Foot: The man is a despicable liar. After condoning to the Project IC, he now pleaded ignorance. Why fear retribution if you believe that you did the right thing?

Sabah has been permanently damaged by your shenanigans. At your age, surely it's time to own up and make peace with your fellow citizens and God.

Versey: Referring to the report few months ago by The Edge with the heading 'Sabah IC project 'lawful' - Mahathir' , it was reported that Mahathir had pointed out that the country's first PM, Tunku Abdul Rahman had also "dished out" citizenship to many unqualified persons when he was in power.

The report quoted Mahathir said, "So why is it when he does it, it is not wrong but when I do it, it is wrong? I did what was within the law."

Now, he denied having any knowledge about the so-called 'Project IC'! If the earlier reporting is true, this former PM is obviously lying.

If the report was fabricated and he indeed was kept in the dark about this Project IC, he must had been sleeping on his job and he should apologise to his successor, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, that he himself had been sleeping for a much longer period than Abdullah.

Onlooker: For a man who micro-managed the country when he was in power and seemed to have his finger on every button, it seems rather disingenuous of him to claim no knowledge of this project, unless he's just referring to the name it's been given.

Likewise, by saying it wasn't policy doesn't mean it wasn't being done, with or without his blessing. There are lots of things happening that aren't 'policy'.

This man is not senile. He just wants to appear so in order to escape taking responsibility for what he has done.

Cala: Whether Mahathir was telling the truth in the royal commission in Sabah will be something that can be unearthed after he leaves this world.

At the same time however, history does remind us that in order to preserve their power, politicians throughout the world are known to use dirty tricks. Consider as recent as 1960s, the blacks were not given equal status as the whites in America to vote.

Earlier, when the law emancipated the blacks from slavery, the southern states passed laws and stipulated that any legitimate voter must be properly educated and own properties, etc (see Chua, Amy, 2003) ‘World on Fire'. Indeed, the last thing to do is to trust politicians.

Bystander: It is easy to solve the Project IC mystery if one is to scrutinise the motive behind it. Who benefitted the most? Why were so many people closed to Mahathir involved?

Former deputy home minister Megat Junid Megat Ayub wouldn't have taken the initiative to set this secret project in motion if he did not receive the directive to do so. Indeed, he would not be so stupid as to involve himself in a treasonous act. He is dead now and as the saying goes "Dead man tell no tales."

This is just like the Altantuya Shaariibuu murder case - "No need to establish motive" - even though many closed to PM Najib Razak were involved in the scandal.

Sirach: This man is unbelievable - in more than one sense. The term selective memory was clearly coined for him.

His statement that "when it's the opposition, we need to defeat them, at all costs, all the time" says it all. It betrays an absolute intolerance for dissent of any sort - the hallmark of a genuine autocrat.

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