Don't be so quick to dismiss stateless Indians claim, opposition MP tells govt

KUALA LUMPUR: The government should not jump the gun by dismissing the opposition's claim of 300,000 stateless Indians in Malaysia as false, due to the complicated nature of the issue.
Klang MP Charles Santiago said the recent revelation by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak had failed to reflect the extent of the problem.
The DAP lawmaker added it would be simplistic to conclude that every stateless Indian would be registered under the government's initiative Mega MyDaftar.
"Stop harping on the speculative 300,000 stateless Indians number but focus on resolving the thousands of pending cases within a given time frame," he told a press conference at Parliament.
Najib on Tuesday had dismissed the claim by the opposition as a myth as the Mega MyDaftar campaign had only found 2,500 Indians without citizenship.
Najib had said this number was picked out of the air, just like the claims that the government had brought in 40,000 Bangladeshis to help Barisan Nasional win the last election.
Santiago said the government must consult all stakeholders, including the opposition, to find a concrete solution to effectively tackle the issue of stateless Indians.