As someone who enters/exit Malaysia frequently due to work with a humanitarian organisation, I have many a tale of immigration services and thought I'd share this recent episode at Sepang’s LCCT in the hope that it would help Malaysia in its upgrading of services.
I have a Malaysian PR identity card and for more than two decades have queued in the immigration line marked for Malaysians upon an early advisory. Over the Hari Raya weekend, I dutifully went to the same counter. There was no queue at this counter. There were about 50 people or so lining up at the ‘Foreign Passport’ counter.
I presented my foreign passport with my Malaysian PR identity card. I was informed that I was at the wrong counter. I was perplexed and explained that I had no trouble for the last two decades or so. He explained that this was a directive from his boss.
It was on the tip of my tongue to ask if this was Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar or his delegate but I refrained from doing so as humour may be rather low on the scale as it was close to midnight.
It would have been more professional for the officer to advise me as to the particular law/ regulation for this enforcement as opposed to his ‘boss’ as I have no way of knowing if this was on a whim or a ministerial delegation of powers or law.
He then asked me as to why I had not applied for citizenship. I wondered at the strangeness of this question. Was it asked because I am ethnic Malay, a Muslim or was it because I have been a PR for more than two decades?
I replied that I had attempted to apply for citizenship after some 5-7 years of permanent residency but the officers I met had other considerations including advising me to see two Umno politicians who were holding office as the information minister and home affairs minister at that time.
I did - through lawyers - check the provisions of the federal constitution which allows my application on specific grounds and I remembered informing the officers that I needed an application form to fill out.
While I understand that the granting of citizenship status may be a privilege and not a right under particular provisions, I have declined the suggestion that I personally apply through the two ministers.
The immigration officer at LCCT, perhaps not used to hearing too much information, then said: ‘I do not know about that because I am Malaysian’. That was an even stranger response especially after his query.
I would have thought that he may be able to point me in the right direction as he had prompted my response.
Without thinking, I replied that perhaps if Pakatan Rakyat governs Malaysia, there would be better transparency, Insya Allah and I would certainly apply to be Malaysian.
However, I would like to suggest that Malaysian immigration under BN or Pakatan in due course, sets clear information at the entry/exit points through leaflets and coordinate with the airlines to announce immigration advisories (as our neighbours have done).
This will prevent a great deal of embarrassment and put Malaysia on the map as a friendlier country.
No. 48, Jalan Kemuja, Bangsar Utama 59000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
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