Malaysian govt hit for 'allowing' Pinoys to acquire citizenship

MANILA, Philippines - The People’s Justice Party (Parti Keadilan Rakyat) is urging the Malaysian government to protect the rights of natives against thousands of foreigners from the Philippines and other Asian countries who allegedly acquire Malaysian citizenship through “dubious means."

The Borneo Post Online on Wednesday reported that party vice president Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan criticized the Malaysian government for allegedly allowing foreigners to acquire MyKad also called the government multipurpose card, which is Malaysia’s official compulsory identity card.

“By allowing foreigners to acquire MyKads through dubious means and then doing nothing to prevent these foreigners from claiming to be natives, the state government had allowed the indigenous people to be robbed of their native rights, including land, scholarships and economic opportunities that were reserved and accessible only to natives," said Kitingan in a statement released to the Malaysian press on Tuesday.

The report said that according to Kitingan, although the issuance of native certificates or Sijil Anak Negeri was frozen since 1982, it did not stop foreigners with MyKads “from claiming to be natives and exercising privileges."

This problem could be addressed if Malaysia’s laws will be amended for these to become consistent with the country’s federal and state constitutions, according to Kitingan.

He proposed the deletion of Section 2 (1) (c) and (d) of Malaysia’s Interpretation Ordinance. Kitingan said the said sections allow natives of Sarawak and Brunei and the Republic of Indonesia, the Sulu group of islands in the Philippines, the states of Malaya or the Republic of Singapore to apply for native certificates or Sijil Anak Negeri, even though they’re not Malaysian citizens.

He said the 1952 legislation was “understandable" and “relevant" for the colonial government.

“However, now that Sabah has attained independence and has her own constitution, she has the right to change and regulate citizenship as well as people entering the state," said Kitingan.

Kitingan said that if the laws won’t be changed or abolished, “many people from Indonesia, the Philippines (and other countries may) apply for the Sijil Anak Negeri."

“With foreigners, including illegal immigrants already outnumbering locals, the threat to national security and the daylight robbery of our native rights are becoming real by the day," he said. - GMANews.TV

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