Home Ministry asked to explain illegal registration claims

(The Sun Daily) - The Home Ministry has been pressed to address allegations concerning the illegal operations of a syndicate registering foreigners as voters.

PAS leaders suspect that there is a syndicate, possibly involving civil servants, which conducts this illegal operation of granting citizenship to Indonesians, Bangladeshis and Cambodians in Putrajaya.

"There have been disclosure after disclosure but we still do not have an answer from the Home Ministry on this issue," said PAS vice-president Salahuddin Ayub (PAS-Kubang Kerian).

"Pakatan Rakyat (PR) members of Parliament (MP) will bring up this issue in Parliament for a concrete explanation from the ministry," he told a press conference at Parliament lobby.

He claimed that there are eye-witnesses and visual evidence to support the claims.

"Yesterday (Oct 12), six buses from Johor spotted at the Putrajaya mosque in the morning, were later sighted at Astana Dugang Country Resort at Kg Desa Putra, near the Putrajaya International Convention Centre," he said.

"The buses were spotted dropping of passengers at a private training centre."

He said witnesses confirmed that the passengers were Indonesians, Bangladeshis and Cambodians from their appearances and accents.

Salahuddin said one eye-witness, the party's Youth treasurer, Mohd Adram Musa, who was also present at the press conference, claimed to have seen several government vehicles and civil servants, mainly police officers and Health Department officers from Senai, Johor, allegedly assisting the passengers.

"This was a very suspicious scenario. The government has to explain what these officers were doing there and what sort of activity was held at the centre," Salahuddin said, claiming that there are attempts to register foreigners as voters.

Mohd Adram claimed that there are attempts to grant citizenship to foreigners who are permanent residents.

It was reported that PAS members had gathered outside a resort in Bangi, believed to be Astana Dugang, after being tipped off that six buses had brought some 240 foreigners from Kulai in Johor to Putrajaya.

Mohd Adram said PAS had formed a group to investigate the alleged incident and it had more or less succeeded in proving the allegations.

"We have identified an individual suspected to be heading the operation," Salahuddin said.

"The individual claimed that the foreigners were brought in for an entrepreneurial course at the centre," Salahuddin said showing a picture of the man to reporters.

Mohd Adram said, "But when we asked some of the Indonesians (at the centre), they said they came to receive identification cards (MyKad)."

However, he said the group did not spot any officials from the Immigration Department or the National Registration Department.

Salahuddin said that even if the foreigners were permanent residents, the government must "follow the proper procedures in granting citizenship" instead of transporting them in buses to a remote locations.