Indian immigrant says got blue IC without papers

Illegal houses built on the sea in Kota Kinabalu. — file pic

KOTA KINABALU, Jan 30 — An Indian immigrant told the royal inquiry on illegal immigrants here today that he received a blue identity card without providing any supporting documents, but only with a false application form filled by a National Registration Department (NRD) officer.

Nasir Yusof, who was born in Tamil Nadu, India, testified today that he obtained the blue identity card from the NRD Kota Marudu office in Kudat in 1988, just five years after arriving in Sabah in 1983.

“Who told you to write (that you were born in) Tuaran (on the application form)?” asked Sabah Law Association president Datuk John Sikayun, who was holding a watching brief at the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) today.

“He already wrote it down — the JPN officer at Kota Marudu,” replied Nasir, referring to the NRD by its Malay acronym.

Nasir, 50, said that he paid RM12 and received the blue identity card two months later.

“I did not pay anyone else,” he said.

According to the Citizenship Rules 1964, people who want to apply to be a Malaysian citizen by naturalisation must become a permanent resident for more than 12 years and have been in Malaysia for more than 10 years.

Nasir said he registered as a voter in 1991 and has voted three times since, including in the Sepanggar parliamentary constituency.

“The one I voted for lost. It was a PBS (Parti Bersatu Sabah) YB, but (the candidate) lost,” he said, as the gallery burst into laughter.

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