Home Ministry intensifies efforts to provide clarification on citizenship issues

TENOM: The Home Ministry will continue to intensify efforts to provide clarification over issues related to citizenship, including the importance of applying identification documents, especially among the people in Sabah.

Its Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin said the move was important to ensure that all citizens, especially in the rural areas of Sabah, were well informed of the method of applying the identification documents and the eligibility to apply for citizenship according to the law.

He said there were still people in the country who did not understand the importance of registering marriages for their children to get citizenship.

"It all happened due to the lack of understanding of the laws of the country.

"A clear explanation (of the issue) is needed so that no political issues arise in the future when requests by certain parties cannot be fulfilled," he told Bernama after attending a programme in Kemabong here today.

Meanwhile, Hamzah called on the people to take part in the Kita Demi Negara programme which was aimed at maintaining the nation's peace and prosperity.

At the event, Hamzah also presented identity cards to four children, aged 12 years, and witnessed the handing over of citizenship application documents from Kemabong residents to a National Registration Department officer.

Earlier, he visited the construction site of the Customs, Immigration, Quarantine and Security (CIQS) Complex in Pagalungan, near Pensiangan.

Hamzah said the CIQS complex would facilitate rural communities in getting the services from the several government departments, including to apply for identification documents.

"The residents can register their child's birth at the police (station). This is to ensure that the birth of every child is recorded," he said.

-- BERNAMA