SABAH RCI Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim will today testify before the royal commission of inquiry (RCI) on Sabah's population boom in Sabah, a week after his former boss Dr Mahathir Mohamad took the same witness stand.

NONE He will testify before the commission, led by former Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Steve Shim, at the Kota Kinabalu court complex.

Anwar was deputy prime minister when Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) was toppled in 1994 after a series of defections and the dilution of its support base. PBS had wrested power from BN in Sabah in 1985.

The RCI has heard that elements within the federal government illegally granted citizenship to Muslim immigrants in a bid to alter Sabah's demography and dilute the Kadazandusun and Chinese electoral influence.

Thus far, testimonies have established that the clandestine operation, often dubbed 'Project IC', involved several phases and went as far back as the late 1980s.

It was allegedly put to an end in 1995 after several individuals, including National Registration Department officials, were detained under the Internal Security Act 1960.

Even though Anwar only ascended to the position of deputy premier in 1993, towards the end of 'Project IC', he was Umno's head of operations between 1992 to 1994 and was credited with engineering the defections that brought down PBS.

NONE The RCI has heard several testimonies which implicated Mahathir, who in turn pleaded ignorance when he was put to the stand last Wednesday.

At a press conference the next day, Mahathir brushed aside criticisms of his testimony by asking critics to instead query why his protégé-turned-nemesis Anwar didn't stop 'Project IC' when he was deputy premier.

"He (Anwar) was in the government, he knew the government's policy. If that was the government's policy, why didn't he stop it?" he reportedly said.

Anwar has previously denied any role in Project IC, saying that the matter had never been brought to the cabinet.

Mahathir sacked Anwar in 1998 over alleged sodomy claims. Anwar was eventually convicted of abusing his powers and sodomy. He was later acquitted of sodomy charges.