Kota Kinabalu: Deputy Chief Minister I Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan said the proposed amendments to citizenship laws has both good and bad aspects.
“It is good because it does not allow Malaysian Permanent Residents to be automatic citizens (especially if they are foreign citizens).
“But it is also bad or disadvantageous to our own citizens who are rendered stateless or as PR only because they have no access to registration or documentation at their birth … no road or means of transportation; no hospital and no administrative centre or facility available due to their remoteness, etc…, especially in Sabah and Sarawak,” he said.
“Ironically this situation affects mostly the native population. Why? Because natives of Sabah are supposed to be automatically Malaysian citizens but with their predicaments of having no documents for their births and marriages (because they have no access to hospitals and no administrative services being located in remote villages with no roads, etc…). Support Independant Journalism Subscribe to Daily Express Malaysia 1-Year: Premium PlanRM180.00 / yearSubscribe Already a subscriber? Unlock this Article, Sign In Here
