Rural and Regional Development Minister Mohd Shafie Apdal today said that BN would have won Kelantan long ago if it gave citizenship to migrants.

In denying that BN was involved in the mass issuance of citizenship to migrants in Sabah, Shafie said the BN simply did not do such things.

"It (issuing citizenship to migrants) is not BN's work. We wouldn't do such a thing. If we did, we would have won Kelantan a long time ago," he told reporters in a press conference today.

He added that BN would have also won urban seats if it did that.

The report released yesterday from the Commission of Inquiry on Immigrants in Sabah had cleared the government and political parties from involvement in the mass issuance of citizenship to migrants in Sabah.

Instead, the report pinpointed syndicates involving former National Registration Department officials as the culprits who raked in millions of ringgit.

Meanwhile, Shafie said that what is important is to ensure that whatever that was highlighted in the report gets implemented.

"We must ensure that those who deserve citizenships get it. Those who do not deserve should not be given citizenships.

"We know that there are still many local children who have not received documents (ICs)," he said.

Admitting that it was not easy to control immigrants who come into the state, Shafie stressed that the most important thing was to ensure that they do not receive the documents.

"Also, the locals must play their role as well. They should report to the authorities when they see someone who is unfamiliar in the village," said Shafie.

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