Isn’t Akmal’s call to reject passport renewal based on BM fluency a disservice amid looming KKB polls?

 

ONE wonders if UMNO Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh should have refrained himself from overly ‘wielding’ his populist/nationalist stance by praising as “brave” the action of an immigration officer who prevented an elderly mother of a man in Penang from renewing her passport because she could not speak Malay.

After all, such untimely behaviour can be detrimental to the chances of the Pakatan Harapan -Barisan Nasional (PH-BN) alliance which already has a mountain to climb in its quest to defend the Kuala Kubu Baharu (KKB) state constituency in the upcoming by-election slated for May 11.

In a social media post, the defiant Merlimau state assemblyman has defended the action of the immigration officer as a necessity because such is the reality in Malaysia given there is no legal provision to oblige any citizen to speak speaking in Malay when making/renewing their passports.

“(As such), the action of the immigration officer should be commended,” he penned in a recent Facebook post. “Additionally, there is already an influx of foreign nationals into our country which further increases their need to verify and ascertain that only Malaysian citizens are eligible to make/renew their passports.”

In s reaction to the incident which can be considered as remote as they mostly affect elderly citizens due to historical reasons, Immigration director-general Datuk Ruslin Jusoh has stated that Bahasa Malaysia fluency is not grounds for rejecting any passport renewals or first-time applications.

“I would like to clarify that in fulfilling their responsibilities, immigration officers will conduct random checks in various aspects to verify applications,” he pointed out in a media statement.

Datuk Ruslin Jusoh (Image credit: Bernama)

“However, these checks must be conducted professionally and with courtesy. Immigration officers are not allowed to reject any application simply because the client fails to master the national language.”

Added Ruslin: “The department would like to inform the public that the customer has been able to renew their passport and pick it up at the Penang UTC Office on April 22.”

Although the case should be deemed close with Ruslin’s clarification, Akmal has nevertheless seized the moment to champion his nationalist/populist cause.

“Following this issue, UMNO Youth urges both the government and the opposition to table a motion in the Parliament to enact a law to make it mandatory for every Malaysian citizen to be able to speak Malay,” insisted the Melaka state executive councillor for rural development, agriculture and food security.

“If Bangladeshis who come to Malaysia can speak Malay, it doesn’t make sense for us who claim to be citizens are unable to speak Malay. UMNO Youth will use various channels to ensure that this proposal can be brought forward and become a law in our country.”

It is mind-boggling how insensitive the Russia-trained medical doctor is to the timing of his call. – Focus Malaysia