PUTRAJAYA: The Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC) has uncovered irregularities in the approval process for Malaysian citizenship granted to seven heritage footballers, following an investigation into a complaint against the National Registration Department (NRD).

The commission said it had set up a special task force under Section 17 of the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission Act 2009 to probe the matter.

"The investigation involved both the NRD and the Immigration Department, which are agencies under the Home Ministry responsible for processing and approving permanent residency and citizenship applications through naturalisation.

"The task force had examined various documents related to the seven players, including from the NRD and the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM).

"It also recorded statements from 15 officers under investigation from various agencies and five members of the public, while reviewing relevant laws, regulations and circulars," the commission said in a statement on Friday (July 10).

The commission said its findings showed that the Home Minister has the authority under Article 19 of the Federal Constitution to consider applications for citizenship by naturalisation.

"The minister had exercised his powers and discretion in granting special approval to the players, taking into account their contribution to football and the potential to bring glory to the country under Article 19(2) read together with Section 20(1)(e) of Part III of the Second Schedule of the Federal Constitution.

"However, the task force found that consideration of the requirements for the special approvals had been carried out within an extremely short period and in an irregular manner," it added.

Among the issues identified were irregularities in the issuance of entry permits involving the interview process and security screening conducted by the Immigration Department on the players.

The commission also found issues involving the handling of security screening by the Immigration Department and the Malay language proficiency test conducted by NRD for citizenship approval purposes.

It further highlighted non-compliance in the verification of renunciation of the players’ original citizenship by the authorities of their home countries, as well as failure to comply with the requirement to surrender their foreign passports to the Immigration Department.

Following the findings, the EAIC recommended that NRD and the Home Ministry review the entire citizenship naturalisation process and all related documents involving the seven footballers whose citizenship was approved under Article 19(2) of the Federal Constitution.

It also proposed the creation of clearer guidelines on the exercise of discretionary powers under the law, particularly in cases involving special circumstances, while taking into account the constitutional requirement of residency in Malaysia as a key basis for citizenship.

The commission further recommended that NRD and the Home Ministry establish a specific standard operating procedure (SOP) for granting citizenship under Article 19(2), as well as an SOP on the renunciation of original citizenship by foreigners who acquire Malaysian citizenship.

It said this was necessary as the Federal Constitution does not recognise dual citizenship, and the NRD should set a time frame requiring proof of renunciation of original citizenship, together with penalties for failure to comply.

EAIC also called on NRD to formulate guidelines on the exercise of the Registrar-General’s discretionary powers, particularly in the issuance of birth certificates under Section 10A of the Births and Deaths Registration Act 1957, stressing that such powers should only be exercised after due diligence is carried out and sufficient proof of birth is established.

The commission also urged the Immigration Department, NRD and the police to introduce a specific SOP for stricter and more comprehensive security screening procedures for entry permit and citizenship approvals.

“Citizenship by naturalisation is a matter involving national interest and security. Therefore, the SOPs in force must be monitored and strictly complied with by the Immigration Department and NRD,” it said.

The EAIC said its investigation report had been submitted to the Home Ministry, the Immigration Department and the NRD for further action.

The commission also noted that police reports had been lodged over allegations of document forgery which were ruled to be fake by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

It said the alleged forgery should be thoroughly investigated by the relevant authorities and referred to the appropriate parties, as the matter falls outside EAIC’s jurisdiction under the Act.

SUMBER : The Star

KUALA LUMPUR: Ombudsman Malaysia yang dicadangkan dijangka berperanan sebagai mekanisme utama untuk memperkukuh perlindungan pemberi maklumat, termasuk mencegah kebocoran identiti pengadu menerusi sistem pengurusan aduan berpusat di bawah satu agensi.

Ketua Penolong Pengarah Sektor Dasar dan Penyelidikan, Bahagian Hal Ehwal Undang-Undang (BHEUU), Jabatan Perdana Menteri (JPM), Dr Nur Faiza Iskak berkata cadangan itu bertujuan memperkukuh sistem sedia ada susulan kes pemberi maklumat berdepan tindakan balas selepas membuat aduan kepada agensi penguatkuasaan.

"Terdapat banyak situasi yang memerlukan kita meningkatkan kepercayaan rakyat dan pemberi maklumat berharap mendapat perlindungan lebih baik daripada agensi penguatkuasaan," katanya pada sesi Perbincangan Meja Bulat (RTD) bersama Dewan Perniagaan di sini, semalam.

Selain Nur Faiza, panelis lain terdiri daripada Pengarah Bahagian Reformasi Sektor Awam, Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam Syuhaida Abdul Wahab Zen; Pengarah Seksyen Daya Saing Negara, Perbadanan Produktiviti Malaysia, Wan Fazlin Nadia Wan Osman dan Ketua Pasukan Pengurusan Projek Sistem eWORKS, Bahagian Perolehan Kerajaan, Kementerian Kewangan Malaysia, Ahmad Fauzi Sungip.

Nur Faiza berkata di bawah mekanisme yang dicadangkan itu, semua pendedahan dan aduan akan disalurkan terus kepada Ombudsman Malaysia untuk perlindungan, berbanding dihantar kepada pelbagai agensi penguatkuasaan seperti yang diamalkan ketika ini.

"Apa yang kami cuba lakukan ialah selepas Ombudsman Malaysia dilaksanakan nanti, semua pendedahan akan disalurkan kepada satu unit di bawah institusi ombudsman," katanya.

Beliau berkata inisiatif pemusatan itu dijangka menjadi langkah menangani kebocoran maklumat, khususnya membabitkan identiti pemberi maklumat, di samping memastikan perlindungan lebih kukuh dapat dikekalkan.

"Jadi, institusi itu hanya akan menyalurkan aduan kepada agensi penguatkuasaan untuk siasatan. Tiada pendedahan identiti akan dikongsi dan ini memastikan perlindungan ketat terhadap identiti pemberi maklumat," katanya.

Pada 10 Mei lepas, Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri (Undang-Undang dan Reformasi Institusi), Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said berkata cadangan Ombudsman Malaysia bertujuan menangani persepsi rakyat terhadap ketelusan proses aduan dalaman dan tidak bermaksud mekanisme sedia ada tidak berkesan.

Azalina berkata Biro Pengaduan Awam (BPA) bukan tidak berkesan, namun tertakluk kepada persepsi rakyat berkaitan ketelusan dan hasil aduan kerana ia beroperasi dalam struktur pentadbiran kerajaan.

Sementara itu, Wan Fazlin Nadia ketika menyentuh mengenai Reformasi Kerenah Birokrasi (RKB) berkata kerajaan menyasarkan untuk menyiapkan 500 projek RKB tahun ini sebagai sebahagian usaha mempercepat reformasi sektor awam serta meningkatkan kecekapan penyampaian perkhidmatan kepada perniagaan dan rakyat.

Beliau berkata RKB penting dalam mewujudkan ekosistem kondusif bagi pertumbuhan perniagaan dengan mengurangkan kerenah birokrasi, sekali gus membolehkan syarikat memberi lebih tumpuan kepada inovasi, pengembangan perniagaan dan pembangunan bakat.

"Daripada 325 projek yang berjaya disiapkan sepenuhnya tahun lepas, penjimatan kos pematuhan yang direkodkan berjumlah sekitar RM2 bilion yang memberi manfaat kepada perniagaan dan juga rakyat. Ini bukan penjimatan di pihak kerajaan tetapi penjimatan hasil pengurangan proses dan prosedur yang memberi manfaat kepada perniagaan serta rakyat," katanya.

RTD itu dianjurkan oleh Bahagian Perancangan Governans Nasional (BPGN) Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) selaku sekretariat utama Pasukan Petugas Khas Indeks Persepsi Rasuah (CPI) bersama Institut Integriti Malaysia dan dirasmikan Ketua Setiausaha Negara (KSN) Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar.

Lebih 100 wakil dewan perniagaan yang mewakili komuniti perniagaan tempatan dan antarabangsa menyertai RTD itu yang bertujuan mendapatkan pandangan dan maklum balas daripada komuniti perniagaan dalam dan luar negara selain memperkukuh perkongsian maklumat antara kumpulan terbabit.

Ia akan membolehkan kerajaan merangka dasar yang lebih inklusif serta mampu menyokong pertumbuhan ekonomi mampan, inovatif dan lebih berdaya saing.

SUMBER : Berita Harian

SUMBER : Utusan Malaysia