Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim says he is willing to testify before the royal commission of inquiry on illegal immigrants in Sabah if he is summoned.

He also took Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak to task for continuing to allow the registration of foreigners as citizens.

NONE Anwar, who was deputy prime minister before he was sacked in 1998, reiterated that he had no role in the alleged awarding of citizenship to immigrants in Sabah.

He said he had not participated in the National Security Council meeting which was “mainly chaired” by then-premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who was a long-time home minister, with Megat Junid Megat Ayub (since deceased) as his deputy.

"You can check the records and ask the secretaries-general of the ministries that may be involved, whether I was present at meetings or briefings on the awarding of citizenship,” Anwar said today.

“I never participated in such meetings of such matters being discussed. Even when I was the acting prime minister, I was not involved in such things.

NONE "It (citizenship for foreigners) was due to the involvement of the late Megat Junid and Abdul Aziz Shamsuddin (left) , with the support of the prime minister (Mahathir) at that time.”

Anwar said the five-member RCI panel has not contacted him to date.

(Witnesses usually have their statement recorded before they testify before the panel.)

Anwar was also asked whether he is prepared for the possibility of the RCI proceedings being turned against him, as hypothesised by PKR deputy president Azmin Ali.

“I am not worried over this any more,” he responded, saying he has faced worse situations included being branded a traitor and an agent of foreigners.

Mahathir ‘ignorant of history’

Anwar also attacked former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad as being “kurang waras” (ignorant) of history by putting Tunku Abdul Rahman in a bad light for the alleged registration of one million illegal immigrants.

tunku abdul rahman Mahathir also suggested that a commission be set up to review the Tunku’s (left) alleged wrongdoing.

Anwar said Mahathir could have forgotten about the Reid Commission which accorded citizenship to the Chinese, Indian, Sikhs who are already in the country.

“We defended the jus soli of citizenship given before 1950 as this was agreed upon, resulting in the Malays becoming the majority and the Chinese, Indians and Sikhs being given equal rights,” he added.

“What we condemn is the cheating that took place later. This directly implicates Mahathir as the evidence adduced so far is pointing towards that. Najib has to also answer as such things have been going on after Mahathir resigned.”

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