KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Citizenship Rights Alliance (MCRA) has welcomed the Home Ministry's suggestions that non-governmental organisations (NGOs) should find a middle ground with the government to resolve citizenship issues.
In a reply to the New Straits Times (NST), MCRA said the alliance also looked forward to an invitation to sit down with Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail to discuss the matter further.
"The information provided (by us) was based on the briefing provided by the ministry on the proposed amendments and media coverage of the minister's (Saifuddin) press conference last Friday (March 22).
"In ensuring that the withdrawal of the two provisions made sense, it was beholden on us to raise concerns regarding the interrelated provisions.
"We welcome this statement from the minister and look forward to an invitation to sit with him, recognising that much can get lost in public statements," it said in a reply to NST, today.
The alliance also said that it had been seeking collaboration to achieve common ground with the ministry since June 2023.
"We have never wavered from this position (for collaboration with the ministry)."
MCRA said this in response to Saifuddin's statement earlier today that NGOs who had criticised the amendments should find a middle ground with the government to resolve citizenship issues.
Saifuddin also called for NGOs to give some space to the government to resolve all citizenship issues.
"Your opinion might be true but it won't always be true so please give some space to the government.
"In this case, there should be a give-and-take situation and we try to find a middle ground," he added.
The statement by Saifuddin came after MCRA's calls yesterday for the government to drop or at least delay the tabling of amendments to Section 1(a) and Section 2(3) until data and evidence from the field and detailed studies are collected.
