Proposed citizenship amendments govt’s decision, says Saifuddin

 

Saifuddin Nasution Ismail has been criticised over the proposed constitutional amendments on citizenship, with one critic even calling him ‘unfit’ to be the home minister. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: The decision to proceed with the constitutional amendments on citizenship was made by the government, says home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.

He said there is no question of the matter being decided solely by him, based on the protocol for any amendment to the Federal Constitution, Utusan Malaysia reported.

“This was not my decision, it was that of the home ministry and the government.

“I presented a paper on the proposed amendments for Cabinet approval. This is because based on the Federal Constitution, if you want to amend matters that touch on citizenship, some requirements must be fulfilled,” he was quoted as saying.

He said other requirements include obtaining the consent of the Conference of Rulers, as well as the approval of the Sabah and Sarawak governments.

Saifuddin said the rulers have given their consent to the proposed amendments, with several conditions.

“Firstly, there must be an element of ‘control’. Secondly, citizenship should never be granted to those who are not entitled, and thirdly, before these amendments are made by the government, a comprehensive study must be conducted first,” he said.

Saifuddin received brickbats over the proposed constitutional amendments, with one critic even calling him “unfit” to be the home minister.

Previously, Malaysiakini carried a report titled “Why Saifuddin is unfit to be home minister” by its columnist and veteran journalist P Gunasegaram.

On the proposed amendments, Gunasegaram said Saifuddin “has done nothing about other major amendments proposed for decades by PKR” which has been in the party’s manifesto for several elections.

Gunasegaram also accused Saifuddin of being “oblivious” to the complaints from the Malaysian Bar, civil society groups, and some  backbenchers on the proposed amendments.

In response to such criticism, Bayan Baru MP Sim Tze Tzin defended Saifuddin, saying he had more achievements over 15 months being in charge of the home ministry than any of his predecessors.

He said while many waited decades for citizenship, only Saifuddin had the political will to resolve it with “amazing speed and determination”. - FMT