Don't turn statelessness event into racial issue, says DAP man

DAP central executive committee member Sheikh Umar Bagharib has strongly condemned attempts to turn the controversy over a citizenship guidance programme organised by the party's Stulang assemblyperson Andrew Chen into a racial issue.

In a media statement released today, Umar expressed deep concern, saying that some parties were trying to muddy the waters by dragging this issue into the narrow arena of racism.

"For example, some social media postings try to twist this issue by linking it to an effort to abuse power to grant citizenship to foreigners.

"More extreme, some try to portray it as an act of selling the sovereignty of the country by taking over the duties of the National Registration Department or the Home Ministry. This should not arise because we are only acting as facilitators for the people," Umar (above) said.

He defended the programme that Chen organised, saying it was merely aimed at providing information and guidance to people facing citizenship issues related to parents' negligence, marital status problems, adoptions and other causes.

Umar cited his own recent experience assisting a Malaysian couple who had adopted an Indonesian child without proper documentation. He guided them through the process of applying for the child's Malaysian birth certificate as per official rules and regulations.

"It is not an easy process... we do not want to violate the law. We are helping people take appropriate steps according to the provisions and legal channels stipulated," he explained.

Umar warned the "irresponsible groups" making baseless accusations that their actions were intended to disrupt racial harmony in the country.

He asserted that the programme did not diminish patriotism and that decisive power still lay with the authorities.

Echoing Umar, former Kangar MP Noor Amin Ahmad said he had also set up citizenship programmes to provide guidelines for those who face the same issue.

He said many who criticised the issue had attached themselves to narrow political commentaries that only show how detached they are from reality.

"They wrongly assume that citizenship issues only involve non-Malay/non-Muslim communities.

"They don't know how many children of Muslim parents do not have citizenship," said the PKR man.

Attempts to ignite issue

It was reported yesterday that the controversy was sparked by a social media user @RMalanjum_ on X, who questioned the Penang DAP's citizenship programmes after finding a Facebook post titled "Easy Ways to Apply for Malaysian Citizenship" on the Stulang DAP page.

"DAP had taken over NRD's role by assisting people to obtain citizenship," the user alleged in the post, accusing the party of using "illegal means" to help 14 people acquire citizenship between March and May this year.

However, the NRD stated yesterday that it was not associated with any such briefing session highlighted on social media and said citizenship applications can only be submitted directly to the department by the applicants.

The Stulang DAP also denied making any Facebook postings about organising a citizenship programme as claimed by the social media user.

The allegations have reignited a debate, with DAP defending its initiatives as merely providing information and guidance to people facing citizenship-related documentation issues.

The party also dismissed accusations of overstepping its role or acting illegally.

Opposition parties have seized on the controversy, with PAS information chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari likening DAP's efforts to facilitate the acquisition of citizenship to "burning the country".

"There is a party burning the country, while its friends are helping to fan the flames," he alleged on his Facebook page.

Fadhli claimed that DAP's active organisation of briefing programmes aimed at assisting people in obtaining citizenship constitutes a perilous action that can be compared to setting the nation on fire.

"DAP's action in actively organising briefing programmes for citizenship, simultaneously facilitating the acquisition of citizenship, is a dangerous act and can be likened to burning the country," the PAS leader stated.

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