IMMIGRATION officers cannot reject passport applications solely because an applicant is not proficient in the national language.
Immigration director-general Datuk Ruslin Jusoh said this, following reports that a woman's passport renewal was allegedly denied because she could not speak Bahasa Malaysia.
The incident gained traction on social media, through a post attributed to the woman's son, following their visit to the Urban Transformation Centre (UTC) in Komtar, Penang.
According to the post, the man claimed to have brought his parents to the Penang Immigration counter for passport renewal but his father had no issues.
However, the staff at the counter refused to renew his mother's document because she did not speak Bahasa Malaysia.
The man also said that his mother could not speak Bahasa Malaysia as she did not have the means to obtain an education, but the staff insisted that she return on another day to meet with an officer.
"The customer in question had successfully renewed her passport and collected it from the UTC Penang office on April 22.
"However, our officers can conduct random checks from various aspects to verify applications," Ruslin said in a statement.
He said these checks were expected to be carried out professionally and courteously.
Ruslin also reiterated the department's commitment to providing excellent service to customers.
"We regularly remind our officers on the importance of adhering to the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) set by the department," he added. - The Vibes, April 24, 2024
