'Minimum 10k citizenship applications to be decided by year end'

PARLIAMENT | Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail has set a key performance indicator (KPI) to decide on a minimum of 10,000 citizenship applications by the end of the year.

Since taking office at the beginning of December, Saifuddin said he has made decisions on 4,294 citizenship applications.

“I wish to say that almost 67 percent (of the cases) were approved while the remaining had been rejected.

“I have approved close to 4,300 cases and there is only a balance of over 5,000 cases, which is not many.

“By the end of the year, we can reach 10,000 cases,” he said during the winding-up speech of his ministry in the Parliament today.

Elaborating on the matter, he said there are four factors that would result in an application being rejected.

“In applying for citizenship for their children, the applicants have not registered their marriage.

“In a second case, when the applicants apply, they do not have proof to say that they are in the country. They are somewhere else.

“Thirdly, the applicants do not have locus standi to make an application, and fourthly, there is an element of doubt due to contradictions of facts,” he explained.

From 2013 up until Feb 21 this year, the Home Ministry has received a total of 132,272 citizenship applications.

Citizenship woes in Sarawak

On citizenship woes in Sarawak, the PKR secretary-general said the Home Ministry has set up a special task force with the state government to handle issues pertaining to those who do not have identification documents.

“The task force is tasked to help those who do not have identification documents to complete their documentation like their birth certifications.

“After the process is completed, the cases will be managed under Article 15a of the Federal Constitution.

“My goal is for us to sort out the remaining 946 cases in less than six months from now,” said Saifuddin.

Under Article 15a of the Federal Constitution, the federal government has the power to register any person below the age of 21 as a citizen, in such special circumstances as it thinks fit. - Mkini