92 'stateless' people get Malaysia Day gift
PUTRAJAYA: It was a gift of a nation and for 92 people who had longed to call themselves Malaysians, their applications for citizenship couldn’t have been granted on a better day.
Some openly wept, while others hugged each other in joy at the presentation ceremony held in conjunction with Malaysia Day at the National Registration Department yesterday.
Naturalised: The new citizens pledging their allegiance at the handing over of Malaysian citizenship ceremony at the National Registration Department in Putrajaya yesterday.
And there were those who even went up to hug the Home Minister who had the pleasurable task of presenting them with their citizenship.
The Minister, who has been spearheading the drive to clear the 32,927 backlog in citizenship applications, shared in their joy and gave them some advice.
“Thousands of people have applied for citizenship, some have even waited for 20 years to become a Malaysian (citizen). It shows how special this country is. So please help to maintain our unity and harmony,” he told the new citizens.
He said as full-fledged citizens now, they must play their part to ensure the country’s continued progress.
“Citizenship is not for sale and is only given to those who the Government feels deserve to be ‘sons or daughters of Malaysia’.
“I will not deny there are implications on the Government in awarding citizenships be it financial or administrative.
But we accept one’s reasons to become a Malaysian positively and we hope the recipients will repay by being loyal and hardworking citizens,” he said in his speech.
At a press conference later, the Home Minister said that to date, the Ministry had cleared 75% of citizenship, PR (16,212) and late birth registration (93,360) applications.
“I must stress the faster processing of applications does not mean that we give away citizenships easily. The requirements are still stringent but we have a special task force now vetting the applications,” he said.
The Star
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