SHAH ALAM, 20 JAN: Nearly all 1,300 applications for citizenship submitted by the Health, Plantation Workers, Poverty and Caring Government Exco, Dr Xavier Jayakumar has been settled by the National Registration Department (NRD).
Dr Xavier informed that 85 percent of 1,300 applicants will be getting citizenship recognition which will enable them to be given the Blue MyKad.
However, almost 100 applications were returned by the NRD because of incomplete details on the application form.
“I was given this good news by the NRD after they completed their investigative matters.
“We will contact the 100 applicants to inform them of the matter and refill the application forms,” he said when contacted.
Previously, Dr. Xavier had submitted the citizenship and Blue MyKad application forms to the National Registration Department (NRD) in Putrajaya.
The applications were from the people in Selangor who have yet to attain their Malaysian citizenship and Blue MyKads. Many of them did not get citizenship although their parents, siblings or spouses hold the Blue MyKad.
He estimated more than 3,000 residents in Selangor from various ethnicities have yet to gain citizenship.
He said that the highest number are from Puchong followed by Hulu Selangor and Klang.
“We will try to help them or they can come to meet with me to enable us in acquiring the applicants information,” he said.
In addition, Dr. Xavier urged for the Federal Government to take action against Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad after the former Prime Minister admitted to giving citizenship to illegal immigrants in Sabah in the 1980s.
“We found it strange. He did it just to buy votes to save BN in Sabah.
“It is so easy for foreign immigrants to get citizenship while the people who were born in Malaysia, live in Malaysia and work in Malaysia for the country’s progress were not given citizenship,” he said.
Dr Xavier added that his (Mahathir) actions were seemingly trying to provoke anger among ethnic groups in the country.
“He seemed to deliberately provoke inter-ethnic problems. Thus, we have to be careful with him,” he said.
Recently, Dr Mahathir admitted to being responsible in giving citizenship to illegal immigrants in Sabah while running the country.
Mahathir tried to justify his actions by claiming that the father of independence, Tunku Abdul Rahman did ‘worse’ things by giving a lot of citizenship to those who did not qualify.
Last Wednesday, two of Mahathir’s right-hand men, when giving evidence for the inquiry of the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) regarding illegal immigrants in Sabah, admitted to giving citizenship to them to become voters.