Muslim NGO to lodge report against Chong

By The Daily Express

Kota Kinabalu: Yayasan Islam Sabah said it will be lodging a police report against Dr Chong Eng Leong for "repeatedly instigating matters on racial and religious issues."

"The issue of citizenship is a very serious matter, especially when it purportedly aims the Malays and Muslims. The reportedly 70,000 people given citizenship and issued with Malaysian identity cards are Muslim and Malay stocks," said its Chairman, Tan Sri Harris Salleh.

In a statement, Monday, Harris said the claim made by Dr Chong was based on taking names from the Electoral Rolls.

Unfortunately, Dr Chong only picked the Malay and Muslim names, he said, adding that it was unfair and inciting racial and religious hatred.

"Surely the issue of fake or false ICs not only happens to the Malay and Muslims, but also to other races. The proof is that during the late registration exercises out of the 25,000 who were then registered at Tenom and Keningau, overwhelmingly were non-Malays and non-Muslims.

"Dr Chong does not see it fit to investigate this racial and religious imbalance?" he asked. Harris said the evidence given by Dr Chong publicly and in the court were mere statements.

"The court did not confirm that these were phantom voters, nor any decision confirms these phantom voters were non-citizens.

The hearing was all about election petition and not about identity cards.

"Therefore, as long as anyone having valid Identity Cards, it is legally valid. There is no question as to whether you are a Malay or Muslim," he said.

Yayasan Islam Sabah received many complaints about people going around in the Malay and Muslim settlements in KK asking for evidence that they were newcomers and given identity cards, he said.

"Quite a number of reported cases that they signed because of false presentation and also given cash in return for Statutory Declaration.

A person who signed a Statutory Declaration saying that he just arrived and given identity card was given between RM2,000 and RM5,000," he said.

"Yayasan Islam Sabah believes in the rule of law. Therefore, Dr Chong should file a legal suit with the court to determine the truth of his claim that so and so were given false identity cards.

"Yayasan Islam reiterates that so far Dr Chong's so-called evidence is like a liar who eventually believes whatever lies he made," he said.