Thousands of immigrants were handed ICs to vote for USNO, testifies retired banker

KOTA KINABALU: A retired banker told the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) that Sabah’s founding father Tun Datu Mustapha Datu Harun had initiated a scheme to “Malaysianise” immigrants and make them voters.

Former Bank Pembangunan Kota Kinabalu branch manager Mat Swadi Alwi said the move was part of a move for Mustapha’s then ailing Parti Usno, a Barisan Nasional component party, to wrest power from the ruling Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) in the 1990 polls.