JOHOR BAHRU: A citizenship briefing organised by the Stulang state assembly office scheduled for June 30 has been postponed after sparking controversy and public criticism.
Stulang assemblyman Andrew Chen Kah Eng said the briefing was intended to address issues of the absence of birth certificates due to parental negligence, among other reasons.
However, he said the organisation of the programme has caused misunderstandings after its poster was circulated.
"Therefore, the Citizenship Briefing Programme scheduled for June 30 is postponed.
"The briefing is related to the issue of the absence of citizenship status for several reasons, such as if the father is a Malaysian citizen and the mother is a foreigner, illegitimate marriages that cannot be registered in Malaysia, children born without birth certificates, and when the mother cannot be traced.
"As a result, children cannot attend school, have difficulty finding permanent employment, are not eligible to own vehicles or driving licences, and this may lead to social problems.
"The briefing provides a list of documents needed for each case, as well as explanations on which departments to refer to in order to resolve the issues," he said in a statement uploaded on Facebook today.
The poster of the programme went viral on social media today, causing it to be criticised and perceived as an event to grant foreign immigrants citizenship in the state.
Some social media users have called for the authorities to investigate the organisation of the event.
Andrew has called on the public not to speculate and spread misunderstandings.
"It is hoped that no party will spread speculation because it stems from the misunderstanding arising from the title of our poster," he said.
