Half of citizenship applications still being processed

KUALA LUMPUR: Close to half of the applications for Malaysian citizenship since 2013 are still being processed, the Dewan Rakyat was told.

Deputy Home Minister Datuk Mohd Azis Jamman said a total of 111,142 applications were made between 2013 and 2018, of which only 24,327 have been approved.

“A total of 26,222 have been rejected, 7,371 were cancelled and 54,222 are still being processed,” he said, here today.

Mohd Azis explained that consideration for each application, based on the facts and documents provided by the applicants, were done meticulously on a case-by-case basis according to a “first come, first out” policy.

In addition, he said every citizenship application would be processed in accordance to the standard operating procedure (SOP) that has been stated in Part Three of the Federal Constitution, the Citizenship Rules 1964 as well as other relevant legislation.

“This include marriage registration, the status of the child, and immigrations regulations, among others,” he said.

Mohd Azis was responding to Steven Choong Shiau Yoon’s (PH-Tebrau) question on the number of citizenship applications in the five years since 2013 and what initiatives were being taken by the ministry to expedite and solve issues of delayed applications.

To this, the minister said the ministry is currently improving its SOP, including taking into account other aspects of the applicants, such as their welfare.

“We will do this without neglecting the security and harmony of our existing Malaysia citizens,” he added.

On a supplementary question that the requirement to sit for a Malay language exam as part of the criteria to be a Malaysian citizen was proving to be a stumbling block for many, Mohd Azis said leeway would be given for certain special cases.

“We won’t be as strict if we know the person is either born in Malaysia or has stayed in the country for tens of years. However, they still need to know basic Malay language,” he said.