| Azlan Othman |
THE fate of applicants who have passed citizenship examination but are not guaranteed citizenship was highlighted by YB Pehin Kapitan Lela Diraja Dato Paduka Goh King Chin at the Legislative Council (LegCo) Meeting yesterday.
The LegCo member inquired about the recent media reports that said passing the exam does not guarantee citizenship which the member said is confusing and could affect foreign direct investment into the country.
He said, the applicants have received an official letter from the government through the Ministry of Home Affairs which stated that they have passed the citizenship examination (through registration under section 5 91) from ‘Akta Taraf Kebangsaan Brunei’ and the result will be announced later.
He called on the Ministry of Home Affairs to look into this matter and suggested use of words like ‘application is under process’, to give confidence to the applicants who are waiting for their citizenship certificates. The ministry needs to examine this in accordance with the law as stated in Section 11 93, Brunei National Act (Chapter 15).
This file photo shows people at the Brunei International Airport. In yesterday’s LegCo Meeting, YB Pehin Kapitan Lela Diraja Dato Paduka Goh King Chin raised the issue faced by permanent residents who are still holding Certificate of Identity (CI) passports. These passport holders are only allowed to go to Singa-pore, Sabah and Sarawak without visa but not allowed to travel to other Asean countries without visa. On the other hand, people from Asean countries who wish to come to Brunei Darussalam do not require visa. – AZROL AZMI
On March 11, the Minister of Home Affairs, YB Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Kerna Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Haji Awang Abu Bakar bin Haji Apong highlighted that an applicant being accepted for citizenship depends on consideration under the terms of existing laws. As of now, it is difficult to give a specific clients charter (TPOR – Tekad Pemedulian Orang Ramai) duration for citizenship applicants.
Regarding the long wait for permanent residents who passed the Bahasa Melayu examination as the process of applying for Bruneian citizenship, the minister clarified that passing this examination does not mean that the applicant has been accepted for citizenship.
YB Pehin Kapitan Lela Diraja Dato Paduka Goh King Chin also raised the issue faced by permanent residents who are still holding Certificate of Identity (CI) passports. He said those holding CI passports are expatriate businessmen and professionals. These people have sound financial background and could assist in expanding Brunei’s SMEs abroad. He called on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade to take the initiative to consult with its Asean counterparts to enable these CI passport holders to enter those countries without visa.
Currently, these passport holders are only allowed to go to Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak without visa but not allowed to travel to other Asean countries without visa.
On the other hand, people from Asean countries who wish to come to Brunei Darussalam do not require visa.
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