KOTA KINABALU – The citizenship controversy concerning Sabah MIC leader Peer Mohamad Kadir has returned to haunt the party two years later.
Over the weekend, the situation escalated as two division heads and twelve branch chairmen openly voiced their dissent against Peer during the party convention.
The group also presented a six-page memorandum of protest to MIC president Tan Sri S.A. Vigneswaran before walking out of the Sabah MIC’s 25th annual meeting in Putatan, near here on Sunday.
In a statement from the dissenting party members, today, the group raised several inconsistencies within Sabah MIC, including concerns over their lack of trust in Peer’s leadership.
A party source confirmed that one of the key inconsistencies revolved around Peer’s nationality.
“This issue, specifically Peer’s citizenship, is a big reason Sabah MIC faced numerous problems, especially for us who are Indian Malaysians.
“Many Indians view the party in a similar light to him, and this has become a source of embarrassment for us,” the source said, requesting anonymity.
The controversy surrounding Peer’s nationality emerged in January last year when activists and politicians called on him to clarify his citizenship status.
The Vibes made numerous attempts to reach Peer for comment but to no avail.
Peer was believed to be one of the witnesses in the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) in 2013.
He allegedly received his identity card six years after arriving in Sabah from India in 1984.
Peer was born in Chennai, India.
Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor also pledged to investigate Peer’s case on January 18, 2022.
However, to date, there have been no reported findings or conclusive actions taken.
The ongoing turmoil within Sabah MIC raises questions about the party’s leadership and unresolved citizenship issues that continue to overshadow its state chapter. – The Vibes, October 30, 2023
