Recently, British footballer Lee Tuck, who plays for the Sri Pahang team, was granted Malaysian citizenship. This didn’t sit well with people, especially considering that many Malaysian mothers to children born overseas have yet to see signs of their kids receiving the same.
Now, representatives of the people are taking the extra step to gain some answers on how the footballer was chosen to be granted citizenship.
Member of Parliament for Klang, Charles Santiago, took to his Twitter page to showcase a letter to the Home Ministry, requesting clarification on the matter.
He wrote, “Lee Tuck, an English football player, was recently granted Malaysian citizenship through naturalisation. We sent a letter this morning (September 6) to the Home Ministry requesting clarification on the process that Lee went through to receive his citizenship.”
In the letter, he brought up multiple questions:
- What is the citizenship process that Mr Lee Tuck, player for the Sri Pahang F.C., use?
- Does he meet the criteria for Citizenship by Naturalisation Article 19 (Federal Constitution of Malaysia) which states that the applicant must have resided in the Federation for not less than 10 years before becoming eligible to apply for citizenship?
- How long did it take for the entire naturalisation process to be completed for him?
- How was the naturalisation process simplified for him? and
- What are the obstacles for the Home Ministry to speed up or give the same flexibility to Malaysians who face documentation issues?
“I request the favour of YB Dato’ Seri (Hamzah Zainudin) and the Home Ministry to provide an explanation on this matter to resolve the confusion that has arisen among parents of non-citizen children,” he added.
Stay tuned for more updates.
Also read: Court Of Appeal Breaks The Hearts Of M’sian Mums By Ruling In Favour Of Gov’t’s Appeal
