NRD denies any role in Bangi 'MyKad fraud'

The National Registration Department (NRD) has denied PAS allegations that it was involved in a programme to grant citizenship to foreigners at a resort in Bangi yesterday.

"Thus far, there has been no information about any programme at all in the last two or three days," NRD public relations officer Jainisah Mohd Nor said.

When contacted, Jainisah also shot down claims that NRD officers had met with six busloads of foreigners at a Putrajaya mosque prior to the buses arriving at the resort.

"(Claims that) our officers met (with foreigners)... there is no such information, there is no such thing."

She denied that there was a syndicate, in any form, issuing blue MyKad to foreigners.

"We are not involved because according to the country's laws, you cannot simply grant citizenship."

Yesterday, PAS supporters kept watch outside the Bangi resort,claiming that some 240 foreigners were being granted citizenship inside.

Six buses arrived to ferry the foreigners, under police watch, a few hours after the PAS activists left.

'Government must come clean'

When contacted, PAS Youth's democracy restoration and mobilisation bureau deputy chief Mohd Adram Musa, who was among the leaders present outside the resort yesterday, insisted that the government should come clean on what really took place yesterday.

"We want an investigation to be held. The Home Ministry must also explain who the people at the resort yesterday were, and where they came from."

Adram said the granting of citizenship was a normal process of the NRD, but the department had to be transparent to ensure that recipients truly qualified for it.

"Just yesterday, it was revealed that 27,000 people have received citizenship. We want know who these 27,000 people are and proof that they are qualified."

Adram said he contacted the resort owners, whose contact numbers were displayed on the resort gate, yesterday to clarify the nature of the programme conducted for the foreigners but he got a "wrong number" response.

Malaysiakini reached the resort management through the same number today, but it declined to comment.