Prove that there are 300,000 stateless Indians
National Public Complaints and Welfare Service Centre (PAR) feels it is necessary to debate the actual number of stateless Indians in the country.
This follows the recent statement by the deputy home minister who dismissed the claim that there are 300,000 stateless Indians.
The claim was made by Pakatan Harapan during the 14th General Election.
Amid this new revelation, I take solace from the fact that Lawyers for Liberty adviser N. Surendran has come out strongly to refute the statement.
He was reported by Malaysiakini to have slammed the government for claiming there are only 3,853 stateless ethnic Indians.
Not too long ago, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department P. Waythamoorthy insisted that there were 300,000 stateless Indians in the country. He claimed such a figure was a fact. If this is a fact, my advice to Waythamoorthy is that he must identify the whereabouts of the Indians.
Under my initiative, PAR Malaysia has worked with government agencies, non-governmental organisations and politicians to combat this stateless issue among Indians.
We have records of database totalling 1,870 — those with citizenship problems, red identity cards, birth certificates and others.
PAR Malaysia is willing to join hands to solve this matter and help with the documentation process in identifying the stateless Indians.
However, our pleas have fallen on deaf ears.
There is no point blaming the previous government. Get to work to solve the issue. If the deputy home minister has reported otherwise, it’s your responsibility to find the missing numbers as you insist that your numbers are true.
Waythamoorthy and his fellow Pakatan Indian leaders must validate their claim of 300,000 stateless Indians.
President, National Public Complaints and Welfare Service Centre (PAR)