Malaysia firm on no dual citizenship policy for now - Saifuddin Nasution

He said any amendments to the policy would only be considered if there were specific requirements.

"For now, the policy stands and we don't intend to make any changes.

"If we face a different situation in the future, will we move in that direction? We'll decide when the time comes," he said, responding to whether the government was ready to review the policy on dual citizenship.

He said this during an engagement and dialogue session with media editors here today, which was also attended by Bernama Editor-in-Chief Arul Rajoo Durar Raj.

Meanwhile, Saifuddin said 17,400 citizenship applications had been processed successfully as of today (Oct 11), surpassing the initial target he set.

"I set a goal of finalising 17,000 citizenship applications for this year.

"Today, we've hit 17,400, and it's only October. I still have two more months... 80 per cent of these applications fall under Article 15A of the Federal Constitution," he said.

Article 15A grants the Federal Government special powers to register children as citizens.

On the issue of the Bajau Laut ethnic group (also known as Sea Gypsies) in Sabah, he said the Federal Government, in cooperation with the Sabah government, is continuously implementing initiatives to assist the community.

They include constructing 100 houses to relocate them and providing job assistance in various sectors, such as agriculture and carpentry, he said.

"Their children, who are without guardians, are placed in care homes, and both the Sabah government and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) provide them with basic education," he added.

-- BERNAMA