No Sabahans will forgive Dr M for ‘Projek IC’ – Tangau
TAMPARULI: It is Pakatan Harapan’s right to name whoever they want as their Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister candidates, said Upko acting president Datuk Seri Wilfred Madius Tangau.
“If they want to name a 93-year-old person, whom Lim Kit Siang said was the root cause of all of Malaysia’s problems, as the Prime Minister candidate, or the person who was once recently denied to be Menteri Besar because she was seen as a remote-controlled Menteri Besar, then it is not for me to comment since it is their choice,” he said.
“I do however find it very amusing that prior to the last General Election (GE13), one of the campaign promises of Pakatan was that they had promised to bring Mahathir to justice within 24 hours of winning Putrajaya for what they alleged to be his 22 years of abuses and corruption.
“And now prior to GE14, Pakatan promises to put back this person into power should they win - the very same person they promised to jail in GE13,” he said when asked about the announcement by Pakatan Harapan chief secretary Saifuddin Abdullah on Dr Mahathir’s appointment during the coalition’s convention on Sunday.
Saifuddin also announced PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as Pakatan Harapan’s deputy prime minister candidate.
Tangau, who was met after receiving more than 100 membership applications from Upko Jalan Bukit Perahu branch here Sunday night, had reiterated that whatever it is, no Sabahans will ever forgive Mahathir for his “Projek IC.”
After the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on illegal immigrants in Sabah, Mahathir himself had openly admitted to being responsible and was even proud to have done “Projek IC.”
“Everywhere I go, I also hear that Mahathir being named the PM candidate is a big liability for Harapan and their Warisan allies in Sabah as we remember very well Projek IC and also the neglect of Sabah and Sarawak during his tenure as Prime Minister previously.
“We certainly do not want to nor can afford a repeat of that,” said the Tuaran MP.
As for their plan to challenge the pardon’s board, Tangau who is also Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, reserved his comment on it since Pakatan Harapan liked to challenge every court decision or any law. “Perhaps they have a lot of money for lawyers? “Just like how Anwar recently challenged three laws in court as being unconstitutional.
“It is the very same laws that he and Mahathir were chiefly responsible for implementing in the first place. It is mind-boggling,” quipped Tangau.