Govt out to help rural folk apply for citizenship via Mekar programme

KUCHING: The Home Ministry will go to the ground to run the ‘Menyemai Kasih Rakyat’ (Mekar) programme, meant to assist those in the rural areas who need help in applying for citizenship.

According to Deputy Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ismail Mohamed Said, it is the intention of the government to ensure that everyone in the country has a valid identity.

“For the rural areas, we have the Mekar programme.

“We will go to the ground with our mobile unit, our mobile bus to help any community in the rural areas.

“We will discuss with the Education Department, the state government and also community leaders to ensure that those who need or deserve citizenship will not be left behind,” he said in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.

He was responding to a question from Hulu Rajang MP Datuk Wilson Ugak Kumbong, who had highlighted the plight of those in his constituency who still had problems with the red and green identity cards.

Ugak had said that the situation made it difficult for children set to be sitting for public examinations in Form 5 and Form 6.

He pointed out that previously, there was a Special Citizenship Committee but it was abolished when the Pakatan Harapan was leading the federal government.

“For me, it’s as a fast-track to complete MyKad in a short time.

“So I would like to ask the deputy minister on what the mechanism there is to help the community, without politicising the process, to own a MyKad,” he said.