Dr Sim: I have never acquired Australian citizenship
KUCHING: President of Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP) Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian has made it crystal clear that he never acquired Australian citizenship.
The Minister of Local Government and Housing said he did not appreciate the recent act of Democratic Action Party (DAP) Sarawak chairman Chong Chieng Jen comparing his Australian permanent residence with former Pujut assemblyman Dr Ting Tiong Choon following the latest court decision.
Dr Sim claimed that Chong had attempted to 'confuse and mislead fellow Sarawakians, particularly, by ridiculously comparing my Australian permanent residence with Dr Ting's Australian citizenship'.
Dr Ting recently lost his bid in the court, which cost him the qualification as a state assemblyman due to his Australian citizenship.
"While I was in Australia for 17 years, I never acquired Australian citizenship or exercised rights of citizenship in or made any declaration of allegiance to any country outside the Federation of Malaysia, as my home is Sarawak," said Dr Sim in a statement received yesterday.
He said he returned to Sarawak to serve in public hospital as soon as he completed his training as a cardiologist in Melbourne.
He said Dr Ting chose to serve in Australia after having completed his medical studies and obtained his Australian citizenship.
"By applying his Australian citizenship, Dr Ting swore his loyalty to Australia, which is not required for applicants of permanent residence.
"I came back to serve Sarawak and was eventually elected an assemblyman for Batu Kawah, as a Sarawakian.”
Unlike other states in Peninsular Malaysia, Dr Sim said "I am very proud that our State Constitution strictly prohibits non-Sarawakians to serve as a member in the state assembly, the highest authority in our land."
He said Chong 'was so dissatisfied with the recent court's decision to bar Dr Ting from serving in the state assembly' that this made him wonder if the DAP lawmaker was trying to propose to allow non-Sarawakians to serve in the state assembly.
He also wondered if there was any hidden agenda in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition 'to use Sarawak DAP to find ways to create openings for nonSarawakians to rule and represent us in our state legislative, not for our interests but for their endless political ambitions and greed'.