KUCHING, March 9 ― The Home Ministry targets to deliver outcomes for the 946 citizenship applications received from Sarawak by June, said Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
The home minister explained the outcomes will either be successful or rejected.
For rejected cases, he said the applicants could appeal and the ministry would process the appeals case by case.
“We have received 946 citizenship applications from Sarawak alone. The outcome of these applications will be made known by June this year.
“Before this, we have approved a total of 177 citizenship applications. And by June this year, we must complete another 946,” he told a news conference here today after presenting citizenship approval letters to 40 successful applicants here.
Saifuddin said the successful applicants came under Section 15A of the Federal Constitution, which states that individuals aged under 21, who meet the criteria, can be registered as citizens.
“They now have the rights as citizens of this country, such as having access to healthcare. This is in line with the policy of the unity government,” he said.
Nationwide, the minister said his ministry had to attend to some 152,000 citizenship applications.
He said the ministry aimed to deliver an outcome for some 10,000 of the citizenship applications received by this year.
“We want to speed up such processes so that applicants won’t have to wait for too long for an outcome,” he said.
On challenges citizenship applicants faced nationwide, the minister said they must comply with all the conditions set and file in completed documents for approval.
He pointed out that the marriage certificate of the applicant’s parents is a must.
“My ministry serves to facilitate the process of application and approval while incomplete applications will be sent back to the applicants for further action,” he said.
He noted that a working committee set up alongside the state’s Ministry of Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing would help the documentation process for applicants from Sarawak.
He said the working committee was set up earlier this year to help speed up all citizenship applications from Sarawak, particularly for those from interior areas.
In his speech, Saifuddin said as a caring government, all efforts must be made to address issues faced by the people.
He asserted that citizens are duty-bound to comply with the law and contribute to nation-building while the government is obligated to ensure that citizens live in the country with integrity and pride.
“The parents or guardians of the children who have been recognised as citizens today must make sure that these children can stay competitive and relevant in this country,” he added. ― Borneo Post
