ALOR SETAR: It is misleading for a group of lawyers to claim that the National Registration Department (NRD) was delaying the issuance of a MyKad to a 17-year-old male student, says Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail (pic).
The Home Minister said their criticism had created an impression that the department was deliberately delaying the implementation of a court order granting citizenship to the teenager, even though the process was carried out according to law and procedures.
He explained that the issue arose following the parents’ visit to the NRD to apply for a MyKad for their son.
During the visit, Saifuddin Nasution said it was discovered that the teenager’s birth certificate was obtained illegally from a private hospital that had been blacklisted by the NRD for its involvement in a syndicate producing false birth records.
“Based on physical appearance, it was clear that the child did not resemble the parents at all.
“The parents themselves admitted that the birth certificate was obtained illegally when the child was a baby.
“As the child grew older, the physical differences became more apparent,” he said when met after the presentation of a cheque for the Early School Assistance here yesterday.
He added that the lawyers in question failed to mention this admission by the teenager’s parents.
Saifuddin Nasution stressed that the NRD had no issue complying with the Kuala Lumpur High Court’s Dec 8 decision, which ruled that the teenager is eligible for citizenship under Article 14(1)(i) of the Federal Constitution.
However, he said the process must begin with the issuance of a valid birth certificate for the teenager through late registration, since his original certificate had been obtained illegally.
“This process only involves completing the necessary forms and verifying witnesses. Claims that the NRD is complicating the procedure or requiring the support of elected representatives are untrue,” Saifuddin Nasution was quoted as saying by Bernama.
Prior to this, a group of lawyers representing the teenager criticised the NRD for allegedly refusing to comply with the court’s order.
On Dec 8, the High Court ordered the NRD and the Home Minister to issue a MyKad to the teenager, who had recently sat for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination, within 30 days.
Meanwhile, Saifuddin Nasution said the number of outstanding citizenship applications has been significantly reduced, from about 50,000 to fewer than 4,000 over the past three years.
In a separate development, Lawyers for Liberty reportedly said it would not proceed with contempt of court proceedings against Saifuddin Nasution and the NRD as the department had accepted the teenager’s MyKad application.
