DON’T MISTAKE ILLEGALS FOR LOCALS, NRD TOLD

Don’t mistake illegals for locals, PBS tells NRD

KOTA KINABALU Mac 25, 2012: There is a need to set in place additional precautionary measures to prevent immigrants from taking advantage of the ongoing National Registration Department’s (NRD) mobile registration drives to acquire Malaysian citizenship.

Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) vice president Datuk Radin Malleh who suggested this, said although certain mechanisms were already in place, the NRD still needs to be extra careful to ensure that illegal immigrants are not mistakenly registered as locals and given Malaysian birth certificates and identity cards (ICs).

“We ask the relevant authorities to be extra careful in registering the birth certificates and identity documents, so that they do not fall into the wrong hands especially illegal immigrants, as this could jeapordise the country’s sovereignty and future,”

he said when asked to comment on the Semporna Bumiputera Bajau Association’s (SBBA) allegation that foreigners are also lining up to get the documentation during the exercise.

Radin who is also Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department said the mobile registration was one of the government’s way to help the people, but to a certain extent, there might be a hint of truth to the association’s claims.

He added that there were rules in place under the Federal Constitution for foreigners to get their citizenship and NRD must ensure that everyone abides by this.

“If there is any truth that these immigrants are able to get the Malaysian identity cards and claim their citizenship that way, to me personally, it is not the right way.

“We hope with the high-tech mechanisms that they mentioned, NRD will be able to properly screen them,” he said, after representing Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman to launch Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) Darau open hall and the school’s Parents and Teachers Association Annual General Meeting, at Menggatal, yesterday.

He noted that amongst the requirements of the Federal Constitution, one must reside in this country for a certain period of time, be fluent in the Malay language and the cultures of the country and take an oath before they can be granted citizenship, not simply impersonating as a local.

Asked whether there is a need for mobile registration since there are NRD offices even in rural towns, Radin said while duly noting that there are Malaysians without proper documents in some remote areas, the department should have been able to figure out the solution after Sabah joined in the formation of Malaysia for so many years.

“This should no longer be the case … But it is up to NRD on how to update their mechanisms to assist the qualified people to obtain their documents,” he added.

SBBA president Mansor Santiri was reported in a local daily earlier this week, and suggested that the mobile registration exercise be halted, after claiming scores of illegal immigrants have managed to register during the exercise being held in Semporna.

State NRD director, Ismail Ahmad, however assured that although illegal immigrants may try to register, it will be impossible for them to get the documents as the department has highly effective screening mechanism.

He also said that the association may be unaware that the drives were meant for registering not just locals but legal foreigners as well.

On Friday, Federal Special Task Force for Sabah and Labuan Principal Assistant Secretary ACP Abdul Aziz bin Alwee revealed that Census Certificates (Sijil Banci), for which issuance was stopped in 1997, were being sold to foreigners especially illegal immigrants, to enable them to get proper documentation in the long run.

Abdul Aziz said this was uncovered after a number of such documents were seized from foreigners in several operations.