Grant visa to students studying in seminaries

I REFER to the letter “Fed up with bogus international students” ( The Star, Aug 22).

The presence of bogus international students here is often the result of some form of corruption. This is nothing new and I hope the Home Affairs Minister will do something to resolve the problem while ensuring that genuine international students are granted the visa to study in our country.

For the past year, I have been handling a case where international students applying to study in theological seminaries here are being denied the visa.

In December 1998, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in his capacity as Home Minister instructed the Immigration Department to issue the international student visa to foreign students who want to pursue theological education in Malaysia.

However, Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi revoked the student visa for this group without giving any reason in 2013. The only explanation given by the Home Affairs Ministry was that local seminaries would have to be registered with the Higher Education Ministry before they could obtain the visa for their foreign students. I found this absolutely ridiculous.

On May 16, I wrote to Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, the newly-minted Home Affairs Minister, hoping to get this issue solved immediately.

With Muhyiddin not being well, I also wrote to Dr Mahathir on July 13 in his capacity as acting Home Affairs Minister with the hope that he would do what is right so that the seminaries can get on with recruiting international students for next year’s intake.

My contention is that as these foreign students are coming to Malaysia to pursue theological education, they would be no threat to our national security. After completing their studies, most of them look forward to returning to their home country to serve as pastors in the churches which sponsored their studies. Only one or two might stay on to pursue their doctorate degree in theology.

For a year now, I have been pointing out to Immigration director-general Datuk Seri Mustafar Ali that unlike some private colleges, seminaries are also very strict with their attendance. Except for their internship with local churches, it would be unlikely that seminary students would be here to work part time.

But the decision lies with the Home Affairs Minister. Unfortunately, it has taken our government so long to even give these students a proper student visa. Forget about the problematic special visit pass (Pas Lawatan Ikhtisas Khas). I am now waiting with fingers crossed for Dr Mahathir’s decision on the visas for international students to study in seminaries.

STEPHEN NG Kuala Lumpur