Kota Kinabalu: Deputy Home Minister Dato' Lee Chee Leong has denied allegations by opposition parties about the existence of the so-called Project IC which was supposedly started by an Umno task force in the 1990s.He said the Government had asked the opposition to provide proof regarding the allegations for many years, but had yet to receive any until today."I don't see any way how they (immigrants) could get their identification card just like that, because every applicant needs to go through all sorts of procedure to get them," he said.
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"So this is not true," he said, stressing that the Ministry denies such claims. He was speaking after presenting citizenship certificates to 23 applicants at the Federal Administration Complex on Thursday.
It was claimed that the Project IC had benefited at least 600,000 foreigners in 2005 who were given Malaysian ICs through falsified SD (statutory declarations) in 1991.The purpose of the task force, as claimed by some, was to seek out foreigners and issue them with Malaysian ICs and register them as Umno members and voters to be placed in 30 out of the 48 state constituencies during that time.
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Meanwhile, foreigners who have applied for Malaysian citizenship have been urged to follow-up with the National Registration Department.Lee said there are still a number of people whose applications have been approved by the Government but who are not traceable.
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"The 23 recipients today are those the Department are able to trace and locate, and there are still quite a number of people who are not able to be found. Those who have applied for the Malaysian citizenship should check with the NRD to see whether their applications have been approved," he said, adding that those who have changed their addresses should inform the department once they do so.He also stated that the outcome of applications would be announced within a year from the date of submission.
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Also present was Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister's Department, Datuk Edward Khoo and City Police Chief, ACP Ahmad Sofi Zakaria among others.Lee, Khoo and Sofi among other guests posing for the camera with the citizenship recipients.
