YOURSAY 'Wait a minute, Dr M. Who was Anwar reporting to at that time if it was not you? You were his immediate boss and the PM.'

Anwar directly involved in Project IC, says Dr M

Pemerhati: So far the RCI (royal commission of inquiry) has only heard that former PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad's deputy home minister (Mahathir was also home minister at that time), his political secretary and some bureaucrats were actively involved in giving citizenship to immigrants in Sabah.

As Mahathir's subordinates would not dare do something so terribly wrong and illegal, it is reasonable to assume that they were acting on his orders and that he was the mastermind behind the whole operation.

Now if subsequent witnesses say or are made to say that then deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim or other ministers were also involved, it will not detract from the fact that they were all Mahathir's subordinates and probably acting on his orders. If Mahathir was not the mastermind, he would have taken action against all the people involved.

Some participating bureaucrats were held under the ISA probably because they angered Mahathir as they made some money for themselves from the operation or he wanted to create the impression that the illegal activity was not his doing and was the work of some crooked officers.

Absalom: Mahathir, you were PM at that time. You want us to believe you let your subordinates mastermind and execute an operation of this scale under a ministry you were in charge?

Gobsmacked!: Mahathir, if Anwar is really responsible as you said, why did you say that there should also be an RCI on the citizenship issued prior to independence?

Why did you defend the issue of citizenship to illegals stating that after all they have lived here for more than 20 or 30 years when you know that it is a lie?

The basis is not because they were here for a given period of time but because they were Muslims. It is only when you are driven to a corner and you cannot avoid blame that you pointed your finger to someone else.

I feel sorry for you that at such an advanced stage in your life you should stoop so low.

Kairos: So Mahathir acknowledges that issuing the ICs is wrong. Instead of owning up to his sins and the injustice done to the nation, he puts the blame on his then deputy, Anwar. This is called passing the buck.

It is also called high treason. He has lost all respect befitting an ex-leader. He is being cursed day and night by Malaysians of all races. I wonder how he can sleep peacefully every night.

PaulOctopus: Mahathir, if it was Anwar who did it, I believe you would have charge him the moment you sacked him in 1998 as you would be most happy to keep Anwar imprisoned. The people of Malaysia can never again believe in you.

Gerard Lourdesamy: Why keep quiet for so long? Produce the evidence before the RCI. In any event, Mahathir and Anwar should both appear before the RCI and testify as to their knowledge and involvement.

It is a known fact that in 1994, Mahathir instructed Anwar to topple the Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) government by orchestrating defections.

While prior to that it is not clear if Anwar was directly involved in Project M, it is obvious that Mahathir was using then deputy home minister Megat Junid Megat Ayub and his political secretary Abdul Aziz Shamsuddin to implement Project M with the connivance of the Home Ministry, the National Registration Department and the Election Commission.

Hah Thiam Khean: So you admit to knowing that there was a programme to give away citizenship to illegals. Who could have possibly had the authority to stop a DPM when he is doing something illegal? Perhaps a PM in the know?

And if the said PM knows of it and does not stop it, will the said DPM not interpret it as tacit approval from the PM?

By this logic, I would agree that the ex-DPM be sent to jail if the ex-PM is sent to the same jail and given the same treatment while in the slammer.

Black Mamba: Wait a minute, Dr M. Who was Anwar reporting to at that time if it was not you? You were his immediate boss and the PM.

SteveOh*: It is not proper for Dr M to snipe at Anwar and ascribe blame to him when he should tell the RCI all he knows under oath. Anwar has agreed to do that. Whatever Anwar might have done as a former deputy of Dr M is undone by his present efforts in the opposition to put things right.

In contrast, Dr M persists in his old ways and consistently denied the existence of Project M until the recent RCI. No one believes Dr M anymore except those bonded to him.

This latest ploy to blame others again is so typical of Dr M but fortunately for his victims, the public think Dr M should not pass the buck and try to spin his guilt away.

As the evidence for Project M mounts, it is hard for Dr M to account to Malaysians how he sold out his country and thought it was all legal. If it was legal, why point the finger at Anwar? Dr M's comments sadly don't add up.

Moonstone: It sure took this fellow a few weeks to think that Anwar was involved. The fact that he didn't say it there and then meant that this is an afterthought. Only fools will buy it and believe him.

Garrulous Gary: Suddenly, he remembers. And in detail, too!

The above is a selection of comments posted by Malaysiakini subscribers. Only paying subscribers can post comments. Over the past one year, Malaysiakinians have posted over 100,000 comments. Join the Malaysiakini community and help set the news agenda. Subscribe now .