'If an alien can obtain citizenship, why is it that Malaysian-born people who have been living here for several generations cannot do so?'

Voter Mismah found, denies fast-track citizenship

Tkc: To be a permanent resident of Malaysia, one must first obtain an entry permit seeking to remain in Malaysia after the expiry of one's pass.

Some eligibility rules for the entry permit are:

1) must be in possession of specialist or professional qualification;

2) certified by Home Ministry that one's admission is of economic interest to Malaysia;

3) wives of citizens living separately from husbands for five years; or

4) children of citizens under six years of age.

After one is granted an entry permit, one must reside in the country for a continuous period of not less than five years before one can apply for PR.

Mismah said that she got her PR a few months after she entered the country - 13 days after her 18th birthday to be exact. What is wrong with the above picture?

Ferdtan: Mismah is 47 years old. She said she is PR for 29 years - that means she applied for PR when she was 18 years old. She must have been in Malaysia for some years before she can obtain PR - say five years. That will make her 15 years old when she came to Malaysia.

How come her children and mother are holders of blue MyKad - is her husband or her grandfather (since Mismah's mother is a citizen) Malaysians?

She said that she got approval to be citizen in February 2011, and since you need at least four months to be registered to be a voter, she must have registered to EC (after working back the timing) between March to April 2011.

She must have put some lazy Malaysians to shame who are still dragging their feet to register to vote - she did it within two months after getting her citizenship.

My question to her is how did she got her MyKad in February when Malaysiakini checked with NRD site in August that she was still a PR? It is easy to talk without proof. NRD and EC need to come clean.

Botak Chin: Mismah's kids are in the civil service. Not bad for a new citizen. Local Chinese and Indians struggle to get government positions even after three and four generations.

Hello This issue gives rise to another issue. If an alien can obtain citizenship, why is it that Malaysian-born people who have been living here for several generations cannot do so?

And these first-generation Malaysian citizens can easily obtain jobs in the civil service. I wonder if they can also enter local universities just as easily.

Raikonen : We give citizenships to skilled workers like janitors?

By Election Fan : Waited 17 years, so what? There are thousands of locally-born Chinese who are still holding PR status till today and some of them are in their 70s.

Singapore takes away the cream of our crop and we take in the ‘expatriate' from Indonesia to be our janitors and construction workers, and now they become citizens. What sort of policy is that?

We export highly qualified citizens and takes in these blue collar unskilled labourers. No wonder there were Banglaputras in the Umno Youth ‘Patriot' group at the Bersih rally on July 9.

People power : My ancestors have been living here for over 100 years and unlike Mismah, we are still non-bumiputera (second-class) citizens.

MichaelCelo: To real local Malays/bumiputeras, especially those in semi-urban and rural areas who have difficulty improving their lives and the future of their children and are not getting ahead economically: Mismah's three children, already blue IC holders, are civil servants whereas you and your children may have to remain in your rural areas for the foreseeable future.

These descendants of foreigners are the challenge you and your children will face, not the non-bumis. And meanwhile, BN seems to be cocksure they can rely on the rural votes to stay in power.

It's time for the rural Malays/bumis to know the facts and the devious ways of the BN government.

YellowBoxer: So, my Chinese friends, it helps if you change your name to a local-sounding name, and put on the kopiah or songkok (pick your choice - for women, wear baju kebaya like Tourism Minister Ng Yen Yen).

To be born locally apparently is not enough.

Church: Jais acted 'without proper authority'

Bob Teoh: Pastor Daniel Ho is right in hitting out at Jais for its raid on his Damansara Utama Methodist Church premises. Jais has acted with extrajudicial power and as a law unto itself.

Jais displayed total disregard and insensitivity to the church and the organisers of the fund raising dinner and the guests. This is wholly unacceptable.

Jais cannot now say it didn't use violence and it was not a raid. Its unannounced and unwelcome arrival and uncivil behaviour is unbecoming of a religious institution and is nothing short of vigilante action.

If Jais has a case then it should say so and do it properly and politely instead of resorting to a raid on church premises. Take the church organisers to court by all means. If suspicion is all that Jais has, then it should discuss the matter in a civilised manner with Pastor Ho.

It should not hide behind the ‘sarong' of lawmakers like Ezam Mohd Nor and Zulkifli Noordin with their mob mentality. Jais should appreciate the measured responses of the dinner organisers, Pastor Ho and the Christian clergy.

Anonymous_ABG: The action by Jais has opened the doors to many questions. I do not accept these Jais boys are all powerful and the sole guardians of Islam. In school, I was taught that the rulers are the heads of religion and now a political party appoints persons forming a department functioning as the authority of Islamic matters.

If the religious departments of various states are established to 'advise' the rulers then the departments should be manned by people appointed by the rulers and under their direct control and outside the control of any political party in power.

Base on historical information the following questions come to my mind:

• what are the powers of the said departments?

• can they raid any premises owned by non-Muslims?

• can the non-Muslims stop the departments from carrying out the raids?

• what is the role of the police in such raids?

Ssshhh: The church must answer if there's an activity claimed by Jais, which is an attempt to get Muslims to convert to Christianity. It should not be like Umno, which twists and turns the issue. Both parties - Jais and the church authority - should meet up to discuss the matter.

Longjaafar: Whilst accepting that the raid is illegal and the officers were harsh, why must verses of the Quran and a quiz on Islam be organised in a church?

Azizi Khan : First rule of fanatics: when you are obsessed with the enemy, you become the enemy. Jais and its likes are obsessed with making enemies of anyone who is not them.

Long ago, there was a group of people who were obsessed with the Aryan race. Deva vu perhaps? So when do we stop, Jais? When groups of non-Muslims get stuffed into trains to death camps?

The question is: how far are we willing to let them go?

Avatar_2397: PM Najib Razak, what happened to "you respect me, I respect you"? You must have been bitten by the silent bug since you couldn't say anything either in the Anwar Ibrahim trial.

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