Sir Norman Frank Sisson, who applied for Malaysian permanent residency for 15 years must be chuckling in his grave. Finally, after countless trips to the mmigration Department and regular sojourns out of the country to renew his visa, Norman finally got in death what he could not possibly get in life.

What was most shocking was the revelation by the Immigration Department that there was no application by Sir Norman. It was either Norman making trips to the Immigration Department without knowing he had ever submitted an application for PR or the most likely version that the Immigration Department is telling a blatant lie.

Home Affairs Minister Mohd Radzi Sheikh Ahmad and his top immigration officials should take full responsibility for this pathetic state of affairs. If need be, they should all be sacked for such a lackadaisical approach to the administration of the department. If this is how they run their department and ministry, then the average man has no hope of getting quick resolution to his immigration problems.

Perhaps it should be appropriate to ask the minister how is it thousands of immigrants from Indonesia do not have to endure such lengthy periods for their PR to be processed? It seems quite ironical that qualified professionals and impeccable personalities applying for PR are denied easy access to PR whilst robbers, rapists, snatch thieves and other unsavoury characters from Indonesia finding an easy path.

If the minister is unaware of what is happening in his department, I urge him to resign gracefully and let someone more capable handle the job.