KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 18 — The National Registration Department (NRD) has clarified that the 54,000 citizenship applications mentioned by the Home Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail referred to applicants from various backgrounds and countries, not only China.
NRD said a portion of the statement by Saifuddin, made on January 9 during a press conference, was manipulated to misrepresent what he had actually said.
“His statement at that time was to announce his commitment as the newly appointed minister to speed up the process of approving or rejecting long-pending citizenship applications that have been pending for a long period of time,” NRD said in a statement here.
It said the total 54,000 applications Saifuddin mentioned referred to the total applications received between 2017 and 2022 and it included applications from diverse backgrounds and countries of origin.
“Based on JPN records from 2019 until July 31, 2023, only 45 individuals from China were granted Malaysian citizenship overall (as per Article 19(1) based on country of origin),” it said.
This came after a viral video clip claiming that 54,000 Chinese nationals have applied for citizenship — and would in the future turn into “DAP voters” — based on a Saifuddin press conference in January.
Back then, Saifuddin had said that there are 54,000 applicants out of which 7,000 have been approved while 36,000 are currently being processed.
It said Saifuddin had also mentioned his goal of delivering decisions on 10,000 applications within this year.
“This is a proactive measure by the ministry to make timely decisions to ensure fairness to the applicants who had waited for long periods of time,” it said.
It said it included applications under Article 15(2), 15A, and 19(1) and that if their applications were rejected, they can then seek other alternatives of continuing to live here or to relocate elsewhere.
NRD stressed that citizenship applications have always been subjected to provisions of the Federal Constitution and other relevant laws.
An individual can only submit a citizenship application after fulfilling the requirements allocated under Part III of the Federal Constitution, Citizenship Rules 1964 and other relevant laws regarding marriage registration, adoption, status of the child and immigration regulations, it said.
“JPN hopes this clears up any confusion or misunderstanding among the public regarding this issue,” it said.
It said the approval of citizenship application is a privilege only granted to those who fulfilled all requirements and are eligible.
“All application processes are subjected to the Federal Constitution and are in line with existing laws to ensure the sovereignty and security of the country,” it said.
In the January press conference, Saifuddin was announcing a special committee being set up to look into all citizenship matters in the country, following law minister Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said’s statement that government will soon begin the process to amend the Federal Constitution to allow Malaysian women the right to grant citizenship to their children, including those who were born overseas to foreign fathers.
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