'A royal commission must be established to investigate how rampant this is, how long it has been going on, and whether this is restricted to Hulu Selangor.'

'Citizenship-for-votes': Letter forged, says Umno

Ferdtan: Whether it is a forgery or not, we would like to ask the Home Ministry: "Did you receive the said letter with 2,000 names requesting for citizenship?"

There should be an official chop on receipt of the letter. I hope that there are some brave souls who can give a copy of the acknowledged letter. If the letter had been received by the ministry, then obviously the letter is genuine.

SusahKes: Firstly, when Malaysiakini contacted Hulu Selangor Umno chief Mohamed Idris Abu Bakar's office, his staff confirmed that a ‘support letter' was sent to the Home Ministry.

Now that this incident is threatening to blow up on Umno's face - like so many other issues that plague 1Malaysia - there is a "no comment". Sudah mengaku - macam mana nak tarik balik la?

And why has P Kamalanathan remained unresponsive to date? This is his parliamentary seat - is he waiting for instructions from Umno first? So busy tweeting the world over, but no time to respond to a serious allegation?

BujangSenang: This type of thing was common in Sabah until recent times. Some people can deny until they drop dead, but the people know what's going on.

A Voter: This is a very, very serious matter. A royal commission must be established to investigate how rampant this is, how long it has been going on, and whether this is restricted to Hulu Selangor or the whole of Selangor or the whole country. We can't let it just fade away.

Tired: If you believe this letter, then you have no choice but to also believe the pastors-want-to-make-Christianity-official-religion episode. Why? Because both have not been substantiated.

I'm amazed that Selangor PKR deputy head Zuraida Kamaruddin admits she has not verified the authenticity of the letter but in the same breath said it was typical of BN-Umno to deny its existence and that they will do the necessary cover-up.

Tuah PJ: My mom was born in Labu or Labis in Negeri Sembilan in the 1930s. She had her baptism certificate issued by the local church there, and she went to Sri Lanka at the age of two but lost her birth certificate.

She came back to Malaya later when it was still during British rule and when she tried to get her citizenship, she was told she was not a Malaysian as her name in her passport was slightly different from her birth records at the local hospital.

Now she is 80 years old and still stateless. Imagine, Malaysian-born and no Malaysian citizenship. You know why - my mom is Indian.

Swipenter: Tuah PJ, my late father and his two late brothers (my paternal uncles) were born in Malaya. His youngest brother got stuck in China when the communists took over. Luckily my father managed to get out. Both were studying there then.

My uncle was never allowed back into his country of birth by the authorities and even not as a visitor until the late 1980s when he emigrated from China. He died an American citizen after struggling to get out of China after many attempts to flee communist China over a period of almost three decades.

As for me, the National Registration Department officer tried to issue me a red IC despite showing proof that both my parents were born here and had their citizenship papers granted by the colonial British government then.

Luckily my mom made a huge fuss on why all my six elder siblings have blue ICs, and why not me. That was how I managed to get a blue IC.

Abil: Giving citizenship is a perenial problem from the heydays of Dr Mahathir Mohamad, both in Sabah and the Pennisular. The Sabahans have been complaining about the illegal supply of citizenship, and the problem is yet to be resolved. Are we surprised by this?

Gov't under pressure to hike RON95 fuel price

Anonymous_4135: Petronas will make more money when the price of fuel hits over US$100 per barrel. With the increase in profit, the government can easily subsidise the rakyat RM11 billion for petroleum, waive the 20 sen hike in sugar price and further subsidise the rakyat another 10 sen.

With all the money Petronas is going to make with the rise in global oil price and if the Malaysian government is still making losses, it's about time we changed management, meaning BN.

Maximus: It will be unfair for the government to raise the price of RON95 as the biggest users are the lower-income groups. The price of foodstuffs has increased exponentially and many are already suffering.

Once RON95 goes up, many of the poor will have to cut back on their household bills. With many people travelling long distances to work because of poor public transportation, the pain can only worsen.

Ksn: Our leaders have nothing to worry about price increases, especially essential items such as petrol, sugar, etc. They can justify the increases by pointing out that our prices are cheaper, Malaysia an oil producer notwithstanding.

They know nothing of the ordinary men's difficulties, struggles and the stress they undergo on a daily basis to take care of their families.

Not as easy as it sounds

Anonymous_3f1f: Allyssa Sulaiman, this is a very well-written article indeed. It reminded me of my daughter who had studied in Hawaii. Not only she was fearful but I and my wife as parents had the same feeling of uncertainties - what was going to happen to her, could she adjust to the new life, would she be able to look after herself, etc, etc.

I can fully understand your feelings but having said that, so long as you are discipline, you will definitely find success in life.

Gandhi: For a 16-year-old, this is wonderful piece of writing. Thank Malaysiakini for putting this article. This is like an oasis after reading a lot of rubbish from some of our dailies. You've got a great future if you grow with this open mind. God bless.

Righteous: It's a big, big world out there, girl. Explore it and you will find fulfillment, frustration, sorrow, tears, depression, and all the emotions we have will be aerated. Then you sit back and say, "Been there, done that, yet intact." Wasalam.

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