THE incident involving a lady, her daughter and an immigration officer in Johor has raised serious concerns over the treatment of individuals during passport renewal, Senator Datuk Seri Ti Lian Ker said.
The former MCA vice-president said mistreatment of individuals who are not fluent in Bahasa Melayu is not acceptable and there are better ways of managing such situations.
“It is very unfortunate that the officers involved decided to take matters into their own hands instead of facilitating and discharging their duties.
“It is the officer’s duty and responsibility to check the validity of the documents and not choose to bully or take punitive measures against individuals who could be victims of circumstances,” he said in a statement.
For example, he said, some may not be educated or did not receive formal education due to poverty or other reasons.
“Are we going to punish them further instead of helping them?” he asked.
Ti said there are many other ways to resolve the issue of certain individuals being unable to speak the national language.
“We should leave that to the education system, and not immigration officers taking it upon themselves to penalise or punish those involved,” he said.
He also pointed out that there was no legal requirement for one to be proficient in Bahasa Melayu to renew passports and it is ultra vires and unconstitutional for the officers to act beyond their authority or powers.
“Malaysia is a diverse and multicultural society where multiple languages are spoken and people should be allowed to speak in a language they are most comfortable with without being discriminated against.
“This is unless they were applying for citizenship as the law requires them to know the Malay language.
“Authorities should not abuse their authority and impose requirements on citizens or deprive them of their citizenship rights,” he said.
Recently a woman took to social media where she alleged that she was mistreated at the Johor UTC for her inability to speak the national language.
Following that, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail argued that Malaysians should be expected to be proficient in the language as it is a requirement under the Federal Constitution.
According to him, this requirement is non-negotiable and if one cannot understand the local language, then the person is not eligible for service.
Ti said the Home Ministry’s focus on the importance of Malay language is valid, given its status as the official language.
“However, we must also uphold the laws and respect these individuals’ citizenship rights and accord their dignity and not subject them to indignity or bullying.
“The government should take this incident as a way to check on abuses and ensure that ‘little napoleons’ do not abuse their authorities or take the laws into their own hands.
“The government must ensure that officers follow the laws and are accountable to the procedures in place,” he said.
The reality is that there are many Malaysians who are in their seventies who may not know the Malay language, he said, adding that there are also many who were deprived of formal education and did not have the opportunity to learn the national language.
“We should be looking into programmes or policies to help these unfortunate citizens instead of picking on them, penalising them or subjecting them to indignity.
“This is not in line with the spirit of the Madani government,” he added. – The Vibes, December 6, 2023.
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