Najib’s special task force to help Indians resolve citizenship woes

The Najib administration will launch a nationwide campaign next year to resolve problems faced by Malaysian Indians who are unable to apply for citizenship.

The “My daftar” campaign, organised by the Special Implementation Taskforce for the Indian Community (SITF), will be launched on February 19 to 26 next year to help Malaysian Indians who do have proper birth, identification and citizenship documents.

The campaign, in collaboration with the Ministry of Home Affairs, would actively seek to identify individuals who either “possess a birth certificate but have not applied for a MyKad” or “those who do not possess a birth certificate and therefore are unable to secure a MyKad.”

“The campaign will also target children who do not possess a birth certificate and therefore unable to go to school as well as children and young people in residential homes run by the Social Welfare Department and voluntary organisations who do not possess sufficient documentation.

“It is also targeted at individuals above 55 years of age who were born in Malaya and who possess a red identity card and those who have applied for citizenship,” said Human Resources Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam (picture) in a statement today.

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Kit Siang: State secretary row violates spirit of Selangor constitution

Lim said Putrajaya should not have involved the Sultan in the appointment of the state secretary.

The appointment of Datuk Mohd Khusrin Munawi as the Selangor state secretary without first consulting Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim is a violation of the spirit of the state constitution, Lim Kit Siang claimed today.

The DAP parliamentary leader refuted today arguments by palace officials that there were no legal provisions which stated that Khalid’s consent was needed for the appointment, saying that the argument was “flimsy and unacceptable.”

“Going by this literal interpretation, Putrajaya should not have involved the Sultan in the appointment of the state secretary as there is equally no mention in the state constitution that the Sultan must first be informed of the appointment nor that any royal consent is needed,” said Lim in a statement.

The Ipoh Timur MP said that although there was no mention in the Selangor state constitution on the role of the MB in the appointment of the state secretary, Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Sidek Hassan should have been extra careful in appointing the “most unpopular officer” to work with the state Pakatan Rakyat (PR) government.

“The Chief Secretary, who has been delegated the constitutional task to make the appointment, should be mindful of the different political coalitions running the federal and Selangor state governments and the importance of ensuring an appointee who could work as a bridge-builder or at least not seen as inimical to the Selangor state government interests vis-à-vis the federal government,” said Lim.