KUCHING: The Home Ministry will undertake the task of processing applications for citizenship, including those from Sarawak, and is setting up a special task force to expedite and resolve all matters relating to such applications, said its minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
As such, he said, there was no longer a need to continue the Sarawak special committee on citizenship for applications from Sarawak.
“We expect most of the applications can be resolved (by the special task force) by end of the year ... the others we will get them resolved within a short period.
“Hence, there is no need for us to continue with the special committee on citizenship at the state level,“ he said after a working visit to the Kuching Urban Transformation Centre (UTC) here today.
Muhyiddin said this in response to a statement by Sarawak Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Child Development Minister Datuk Fatimah Abdullah seeking explanation from the Home Ministry on its decision to discontinue with the Sarawak special committee on citizenship.
He said the registration, application and processing of citizenship came under the jurisdiction of the Federal Government and not under the state government and the Sarawak special committee on citizenship was set up to assist in the matter.
The special committee was set up in October 2016 under the previous Barisan Nasional government to facilitate and expedite citizenship applications from the state. Its members comprise Fatimah and two assistant ministers.
Meanwhile, Angelina Sinyang, whose four-year-old adopted son, Aden, was among the recipients of the approval letter for citizenship application today, said she had waited four years for the letter.
“I am very happy. I consider it my 44th birthday gift. With the letter, it will no longer be a problem for me to travel out of Sarawak with my son,“ said the former Utusan Malaysia Sarawak bureau chief. — Bernama
