Project IC

By Singa Terhormat

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A friend, quite sometime back, told me of an incident that his close friend was subjected to.

His friend, a high-flyimg corporate figure, was summoned to meet the then Prime Minister, that man of Keralite descent.

Now when you are a businessman and are told that the Prime Minister wants you to see him, you do go.

On reaching the Prime Minister’s office at the appointed time, he was ushered into a waiting room and told that the Prime Minister had some visitors then and that he would be called as soon as the Prime Minister was free to see him.

Whilst alone in the waiting room and after the customary tea and snacks had been served, this corporate figure was surprised to see a single, thick file on the coffee-table in front of him with his name emblazoned on it.

After furtively glancing about to make sure no one else was there nor could anyone see him, he peeked into the file and to his horror found that just about every wrong that he had done in his life was meticulously recorded and documented in that file.

Shortly thereafter and whilst his head was still ‘spinning’ from his discovery, he was ushered in to meet the Prime Minister.

When the Prime Minister spoke to him, it hardly registered in his mind what was being said. All he could then think of was what was in that file and wondering to himself how long and how many knew about what he had done.

Not surprisingly, whatever the Prime Minister then asked of him, he readily agreed to.

If you have ever wondered what is it that makes so many of our people, numbering amongst them politicians, civil servants, judges, businessmen, activists and others (including those who suddenly do an about-turn), ‘toe the line’ when it comes to fulfilling the wishes of our leaders, the above scenario provides a likely explanation.

It should come as no surprise therefore that high up in the criteria for selecting persons to key appointments is that the file kept on them ought to be sufficiently thick and detailed to enable them to be kept under control.

To aid in the control of them, too, it is advantageous to permit them to continue in their wrongdoings as these acts can be further recorded and documented in their files for further use in controlling them.

Now do you understand how and why so many of our Ministers, civil servants and so many others in key positions were and are corrupt?

They are permitted to be so, so that they can be controlled.

If investigation had commenced against them or charges preferred against them, so much the better.

The investigation could be stifled or the charges dropped and their eternal loyalty and gratitude obtained.

It is not surprising therefore to learn that those involved in Project IC in Sabah, as reported, made money in the process and sold these ICs.

As reported, the Special Branch of the Police knew of it and by extension therefore the political masters knew too.

The political masters were quite content to allow them to make money on the side as this would further ‘buy their silence’ over the matter. Though it must have been known that these people were making money on the side in issuing ICs under Project IC or Project M as it is better known, yet they were never charged in Court.

Why were they not charged?

Well, there was the risk that they might, to save their own skin, blurt out in Court that they were following orders from their political masters in issuing the ICs.

I venture to guess that some amongst them, who the political masters were subsequently afraid might ‘spill the beans’, were then detained under the ISA in a bid to intimidate them and keep them silent.

Do not therefore be mistaken into believing that the NRD officers in Sabah in illegally issuing ICs did so independently and solely for monetary gain without the complicity of the political masters.

I will not be surprised if that is the line taken by Mahathir to save himself.

The reported meetings had with Mahathir’s henchmen, Megat Junid and Aziz Shamsuddin, on these matters are however too revealing to exculpate Mahathir’s involvement in these treasonous acts.

Is it any wonder then that Mahathir is campaigning in the 13^th GE as though his very life depended on it?

He may, after all, be right about that.

- The People's Parliament