PKR: Don't give CHILDISH RESPONSE to problem of stateless Indians

PKR vice president N Surendran has described as "childish" BN leaders' demand that the party produce the 300,000 Malaysian Indians it claimed have been denied citizenship.

"[Home minister] Hishamuddin [Hussein] and BN political leaders continue to ignore and belittle the sufferings of stateless Malaysians. Instead of taking steps to resolve the problem, the BN leaders are childishly asking PR to produce the 300,000 stateless Indians," Surendran said in his response to Hishamuddin's claim that the bulk of the 308 applications at the National Registration Department office in Putrajaya yesterday were for permanent residency.

"This is a blatant and irresponsible lie. The 308 Malaysian Indians at NRD Putrajaya yesterday filled up applications for the issuance of blue MyKads. They did not fill up any applications for permanent residency. The applicants were all Indians born in this country and either of whose parents were Malaysian citizens," Surendran said.

Yesterday, some 1500 people turned up at the NRD office in Putrajaya to highlight the plight of stateless Indians who had not been issued with blue MyKads despite being born in Malaysia and fulfilling all citizenship requirements.

The protest, organised by PKR and which also saw the presence of PAS and DAP leaders, also saw a mass application exercise in which some 308 forms were submitted to the NRD.

Surendran said the applicants were all people of Indian background who were locally born and of Malaysian parentage.

"Thus under Article 14 of the Federal Constitution, this makes them Malaysian citizens by operation of law. The Government has thus unlawfully denied blue MyKads to them.

"Why has Hishamuddin branded these persons who are already citizens by operation of law as permanent residents?" he asked.

He pointed out that it was duty of the government to locate and register stateless Indians instead of urging PKR to mobilise them.

"It is the Federal government that has the resources and manpower to do so. It is a complete abdication of duty for the BN government to ask the opposition to resolve the problem," he added.

-Harakahdaily