Penang exco member Lim Siew Khim has denied allegations that the state government is running a "private" National Registration Department (NRD) to dish out citizenship.
This comes after claims surfaced on social media suggesting that the Penang Citizenship Programme (PKPP) was a DAP-led operation to register foreigners as citizens.
"The PKPP is not a private NRD. We assist Penang-born residents without Malaysian citizenship in coordinating various citizenship-related applications at the NRD," Lim stated in a statement yesterday.
"The PKPP does not issue identification cards but acts as an intermediary between the public and the government.
"This initiative was taken due to the numerous citizenship-related inquiries received at service centres, necessitating thorough documentation and review," she added.
Lim, who acts as the programme overseer, said the PKPP was established in 2013 with approval from the state government.
The social welfare, non-Islamic religious affairs and unity exco member emphasised that the programme operates transparently and is well-known to the public.
Hence, she rubbished allegations that this was a new or secret unit.
"Since its inception, the PKPP has helped Malaysians born in Malaysia but lacking citizenship due to their fathers not registering their marriages with foreign mothers at the NRD.
"Many beneficiaries include Malays, Chinese, and Indians," she said.
From 2018 to now, 101 individuals have successfully obtained citizenship with the programme's assistance.
She said four citizenship assistance officers were appointed to help Penang residents born in Penang who face various issues regarding citizenship applications, such as late birth registrations and MyPR or MyKas applications.
If applications do not meet the requirements under Article 15A of the Federal Constitution, the programme provides appropriate advice, she added.
Johor statelessness programme
The PKPP controversy follows backlash against another citizenship issues programme organised by a DAP leader in Johor.
Stulang assemblyperson Andrew Chen had planned to host a programme to help Malaysian families dealing with statelessness on June 30, but had to postpone the programme after public pushback.
It is believed the controversy erupted over the initial title of the programme, which read: “Program Permohonan Kewarganegaraan” (Citizenship application programme).
However, on Chen’s Facebook, the title appeared to have been changed to “Taklimat dan Penerangan Kewarganegaraan” (Briefing and explanation on citizenship). - Mkini
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