KUCHING: Kota Sentosa Stateassemblyman Wilfred Yap has condemned the alleged falsification of citizenship documents involving foreign born footballers, calling it a national embarrassment.
He said it was unacceptable that Sarawak’s name was falsely cited as the birthplace of one player’s grandparent to justify Malaysian citizenship eligibility.
“This is an act of deception that insults Sarawak’s integrity and raises serious questions about the credibility of the federal verification process,” he said.
Yap reminded that under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), Sarawak has constitutional autonomy over immigration, protected under Article 161E of the Federal Constitution.
“If Sarawak’s name can be misused in ancestry or citizenship documents, it shows a flaw in the federal verification system, which centralises citizenship and birth registration,” he said.
He urged for Sarawak to be given greater administrative control to issue birth certificates through its own State National Registration division, supervised by Sarawak civil servants but harmonised with federal records.
“This would enhance the accuracy of local birth data, prevent fraudulent claims of Sarawakian ancestry, and help resolve stateless cases involving children born in Sarawak,” he said.
Yap called on the Federal Government and the Ministry of Home Affairs to investigate how the falsified ancestry claims were approved and to strengthen Sarawak Federal cooperation in verification matters.
“Sarawak’s n amme must never again be misused in falsified documents. Strengthening Sarawak’s authority in citizenship verification is about protecting Malaysia’s integrity and ensuring every legitimate citizen is recognised lawfully,” he said.
By Connie Chieng