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Brunei: Citizenship for other races not guarantee News
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keaizer
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 Mar 12 2015, 08:34 PM
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Passing tests does not guarantee citizenship
Posted date: March 12, 2015In: National
THE mere passing of tests does not guarantee citizenship to those seeking to become Bruneian.
“Citizenship is not a right of the applicants … it is the nation’s right to give,” said YB Pehin Udana Khatib Dato Paduka Seri Setia Ustaz Haji Awang Badaruddin bin Pengarah Dato Paduka Haji Awang Othman, Minister of Home Affairs, during the Legislative Council meeting yesterday.
“The prerequisites are for them to be considered. There are other factors taken into consideration as well, such as security issues,” the minister said in response to Legislative Council member YB Awang Haji Mohd Shafiee bin Ahmad’s question relating to those permanent residents, who brought up the matter of applicants who had passed citizenship tests but did not receive citizenship. The minister said the language is only one of the prerequisites. “Over the last year, not many permanent residents were awarded citizenship. This is because we are very careful in granting someone the honour.”This post has been edited by keaizer: Mar 12 2015, 08:35 PM
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keaizer
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Mar 12 2015, 08:36 PM
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Proposal to amend law on citizenship turned down
LegCo members discussed the citizenship issue during the meeting yesterday. BT/Ridhwan Kamarulzaman
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ABDUL AZIM KASSIM
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Thursday, March 12, 2015
THE Minister of Home Affairs turned down a proposal for the government to amend Brunei’s National Citizenship Act of 1961.
Yang Berhormat Pehin Udana Khatib Dato Paduka Seri Setia Ustaz Hj Awg Badaruddin Pengarah Dato Paduka Hj Awg Othman said there is no need to amend the Act, in response to a suggestion by Yang Berhormat Pehin Kapitan Lela Diraja Dato Paduka Goh King Chin.
During the Legislative Council meeting yesterday, YB Pehin Dato Goh King Chin proposed that stateless individuals who are aged 60 and above be granted citizenship and for the Nationality Act be amended.
[For more stories on this year's Legislative Council sitting, click here]
The Act states that any person born in the Sultanate “who is commonly accepted as belonging to one of the seven indigenous groups of the Malay race: Belait, Bisaya, Brunei, Dusun, Kedayan, Murut or Tutong is a citizen by operation of law”.
YB Pehin Dato Goh King Chin said that before Brunei achieved independence, every resident held a British passport. Upon independence, only those belonging to the seven Malay indigenous groups became citizens.
He cited the case of Australia, Canada, Malaysia and Singapore, which were under the British Colony. When they achieved independence, every resident in those countries received citizenship, he said.
This was not the case for Hong Kong and Brunei as the two were British Protectorates, YB Pehin Dato Goh King Chin said.
“In the 1950s, the Tiong Hwa community also held the Certificate of Identity (CI). If they wanted to become Bruneian citizens, they needed to abide by the Nationality Act by taking a brief oral exam.”
But now, he said the processes have become more difficult.
The LegCo member thus suggested that the government grant citizenship to those who are born in the country, those who are more than 60 years old and those who have contributed to the nation in aspects of business, professional and others.
In response, the Home Affairs minister clarified that people in the seven indigenous groups did not necessarily become citizens after independence in 1984 because the Nationality Act already existed in 1961.
This Act confirmed that people in the seven groups can get citizenship, while the rest can apply provided they fulfil the requirements.
Among these are length of stay in the country and passing the Malay language test.
The minister said “every nation nearby also had stateless citizens and they are given the CI to travel outside the country”.
Citing the agreement made in 1979 between the British and government that allowed Brunei to take over its international responsibility as a sovereign nation, the minister said the matter of citizenship for those who did not belong in the seven groups was raised in the exchange of notes between the Monarch and the English government.
“In the exchange of notes, it was explained that they can become citizens and live in Brunei once the requirements under the existing laws are fulfilled. Hence the independence did not change the Act, it actually preserved it and that is why (the Act) is very fundamental to Brunei.
“In conclusion, I feel confident in the National Citizenship Act, it is important for Brunei Darussalam in the long term, and that I feel there is not yet a need to amend the Act,” the minister said.
The Brunei Times
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keaizer
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Mar 12 2015, 08:37 PM
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Government rules out amending Brunei Nationality Act
Posted date: March 12, 2015In: Headline, National
THERE is no need to amend the Brunei Nationality Act in order to grant citizenship to stateless individuals born in Brunei Darussalam and are aged over 60, Minister of Home Affairs YB Pehin Udana Khatib Dato Paduka Seri Setia Ustaz Haji Awang Badaruddin bin Pengarah Dato Paduka Haji Awang Othman said yesterday.
He was responding to a question from YB Pehin Kapitan Lela Diraja Dato Paduka Goh King Chin who proposed that amendments be made to the Act, during the Legislative Council (LegCo) meeting.
YB Pehin Dato Paduka Goh said it will be a “loss to the nation” if a stateless person with significant contributions to the country leave and is granted citizenship elsewhere.
He proposed that the Act be reviewed to give more flexibility to grant citizenship to such stateless people so that they can continue to contribute to the country’s development.
The minister also replied to questions raised by LegCo member YB Awang Haji Sulaiman bin Haji Ahad who questioned the speed in granting citizenship to foreign or stateless permanent residents. He said those who have passed the oral and written Malay tests lamented that they have been waiting for some three to four years to get a definite answer for the certificate of citizenship.
The minister acknowledged that the issue had been raised in previous LegCo meetings as well.
YB Pehin Kapitan Lela Diraja Dato Paduka Goh King Chin at the LegCo meeting. - DEAN KASSIM
YB Pehin Kapitan Lela Diraja Dato Paduka Goh King Chin at the LegCo meeting. – DEAN KASSIM
LegCo-Logo-2
He explained that the Act was enacted in 1961 with provisions to recognise the seven tribes in the country as citizens, while the rest are considered stateless individuals.
He said only those who meet the requirements under the stipulated law such as residing in the country for a long period or passing a written and oral Malay test will be granted citizenship.
The said requirement is fundamental for the interest of the country in the long run, and there is no need to amend the existing act, he said.
Meanwhile, in response to YB Awang Haji Sulaiman’s query, the minister stressed that they have never delayed the process of granting citizenship – all applications have gone through stipulated guidelines and the law, while not denying the fact that some are still waiting for their citizenship after passing the test, due to not fulfilling other requirements.
He said since 2011 until March this year, 485 of those applications from individuals who passed the test have been submitted to the ministry, but only 159 have been consented to be granted citizenship.
He further shared that over the last three years, those who have been granted citizenship in all categories (including individuals with Bruneian mothers or fathers and foreigners married to Bruneian men) amount to 2081 individuals.
“The process of those outstanding applications is still being reviewed and we are not overlooking the matter,” the minister added.
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