I would never thought that I can write my 100th postings. And I would never thought that I am going to be pissed off during my 100th article. What is it that I am pissed about? Read this:
Malaysians left stateless in UK in row over colonial law
2009/10/11
LONDON, Sun: Hundreds of Malaysians who tore up their passports and set off for Britain in the belief they could claim citizenship under a quirk of colonial law have found themselves stateless and desperate.
“Dee”, a trained architect from Penang, is now reduced to washing dishes in a Chinese restaurant in central London — a victim, he says, of a “citizenship that is not real.”
“I have become an illegal immigrant… actually even worse because at least they have their own country to go back to. I don’t,” the 34-year-old told AFP.
A little-known legal clause gave residents of Penang and Malacca the status of British Overseas Citizenship (BOC) when Malaysia gained independence in 1957.
Ethnic Chinese in the two regions that were part of a British colony in the former Malaya, wary of discrimination under an independent nation dominated by Muslim Malays, had sought assurances they could resort to residing in Britain.
Immigration activists say that a few hundred Malaysians took up citizenship, most of them eventually being granted the right after residing in Britain for more than five years in the 1980s and 1990s.
Immigration laws tightened up in 2002, ending any chance for Malaysian BOCs to register as British citizens.
But confusion over the change, combined with shady immigration lawyers out to make a buck, meant many Malaysians continued to pursue applications. Dee, who had seen many BOC friends successfully gain citizenship, applied in 2003.
Ben Scaro, an Australian lawyer who advocates their cause, says the situation became messier as cases were left unresolved for years, and letters sent in 2005 told applicants they could not proceed unless they showed they had lost Malaysian citizenship.
As a result, a large number of BOCs including Dee renounced their Malaysian citizenship — a process that is extremely difficult to reverse.
“I filled up the forms to renounce my citizenship and my Malaysian passport was cut up,” Dee says.
”I was told by the officials at the Malaysian High Commission here that I was no longer a Malaysian citizen.”
“What makes it worse is the British government saying it’s very hard to renounce Malaysian citizenship and declaring we are still Malaysian while the Malaysian government says we are not Malaysian anymore but British. Its crazy.”
Sealing their fate, an Asylum and Immigration tribunal in July 2008 ruled that Malaysian BOCs who have or had Malaysian citizenship do not have a right to reside in Britain.
“We are looking at a situation where nearly 1,000 Malaysians who have given up their citizenship are now BOCs but have no right to stay in the UK,” Ben Scaro said.
It also ruled that a Malaysian BOC does not lose their Malaysian citizenship by applying for a BOC passport or renunciation of Malaysian nationality.
“The British Home Office effectively orchestrated the BOCs’ statelessness,” Scaro said.
“It said if you can prove you are not Malaysian your case can go forward, so of course the BOCs are going to go to the Malaysian High Commission and renounce.
“And then once they had renounced, then the decision comes along, saying the BOC will no longer be a path to citizenship.” Malaysian constitutional lawyers also disagree with the British tribunal’s interpretation of Malaysian law.
“If a Malaysian has gone through the renunciation process and followed the procedure, then the person is no longer a Malaysian citizen,” prominent lawyer Malik Imtiaz Sarwar told AFP in Kuala Lumpur.
“Of course, Malaysia would not allow the citizen to renounce its citizenship without having another citizenship but as far as the government is concerned the British Overseas Citizenship, as its name implies, is another citizenship.
“If these Malaysians follow the procedures, in these circumstances, they end up being stateless.”
Edmund Yeo, a Malaysian citizen who is an elected councillor in Ealing, West London, says that only the British government can now resolve the dilemma.
“The British government gave them that right, they were born and you called them BOC in Malaysia… and now you want to remove yourself from this problem, that’s not right,” he told AFP in his office near London’s Chinatown.
“These people can be turned into very productive citizens who pay taxes.
These are not economic refugees, they did not come in the back of a lorry. They walked in the front door saying they are claiming citizenship, so give it to them.”
London Citizens, a civic group campaigning for the BOC, organised a major rally in July to urge the British government to legalise long-term illegal residents who are hardworking and contribute to society.
“People who have been here for more than four years, show evidence that they are good citizens, non-criminals, willing to contribute, we ask the government to give them a two-year work permit and during the period if they get a strong reference from their employer, we ask they be made legal,” said organiser Joy Lam.
“The Malaysian BOCs are a small group of people and they are stateless so our first priority is to try and get them indefinite leave to remain.”
However, a UK Borders Agency spokesperson, in a written response to AFP, said the government was sticking to the ruling of the tribunal.
“Being a BOC is not the same thing as having British citizenship and does not give people an automatic right to live in the UK,” she said.
“We do not believe that these individuals are stateless and the courts agreed. Anyone in the United Kingdom illegally should leave voluntarily. If they do not, they are liable to be removed.”
For Dee, the situation remains bleak. “Malaysia will not take me and I have lived in the UK for 11 years,” he said. “I am British, I have lived here for more than a third of my life and I am willing to work hard so why don’t they just let me?” – AFP
The bolded line and red-coloured words are those that actually boils my blood. Why?
If we are in the middle of independence process, and they were in between, I still can accept such reason.
However, they are the one who TORE their Malaysian Passport. They are the one who GAVE AWAY their Malaysian identity.
And now, such headlines are out as if they are the victim? A victim of who? Discrimination by Malay Muslims? Are they for real? Are you kidding me?
For all I know, by logic, if the so-called this Malay Muslim country discriminate such, I would say, in example, that for the top 10 riches men in Malaysia would be 100% Malay Muslims. Not even top 10, top 100 should also be 90% Malay Muslims. But is that happening?
This is nothing but a fuss from those who have taken wrong step in LETTING GO their Malaysian Identity, for their hatred driven by their own selfishness in saying they are being discriminate. They let go their Malaysian Identity for their belief that this country did not treat them well and they will get better treatment in other country.
Whatever reason it is, they victimised their ownself. Yes, they are born here. Yes, for some part of their life, they are Malaysians. However, they are the one who let go their own nationality due their own view that they are victimised by their own country, without realising that they are making the fool out of themselves.
And for some reason, by their reactions and words (these BOCs), I have no suprise with this group of people who LET GO their own nationality’s given the limelight and issue, can lead and make some part of this country unrest to think that “if something happen to Malaysia, the bumiputeras has no where else to go.” .
Yes, definitely, their act of throwing away Malaysian identity has a price – difficulty to return back and make some people more to believe “if something happen to Malaysia, the bumiputeras has no where else to go” sounds more and more logical.
My Malaysian Nationality, a non-negotiable and non-tradable trait…
On Da Street 
They sold out for 30 shekels.GRTBR.
Mah Ngah Tong.
ODS: For real????
bro,
these r the gluttons who r always on a lookout for every little opportunity to take n take n take n never giving back much less showing any gratitude for whatever opportunity we have given them.
their obscene gluttony drove them drooling tearing-up their malaysian passport looking to capitalize on some BOC loopholes but found themselves in a shithole countryless instead . serve those ingrates right! i say let them rot where they r! britain n malaysia have r better of without these lot.
n the bar council guy who urge the government to take those ingrates back has done nothing but show an unpatriotic s-hole that he is.
ODS: Well bro, the BOCs proven to be selfish and unpatriotic.. and as you said, with some of the bar council personnel trying to be “hero”, they also shown how foolish they can be.
Bar Council.. should not they be able to see the cause of such issue? Or they just want to be popular? Or are they trying to get political reputation before jumping into politics? If yes, I think I have no idea how they pass their exams.. or really they studied their subjects well…:D
Salam Sdr ondastreet,
Apa la yang ada dalam kepala otak manusia yang jenis ini? Sesedap mulut sahaja melemparkan fitnah mengatakan didiskriminasi dan ditindas sedangkan semua kaum aman makmur, dan setiap kaum ada wakilnya dalam kerajaan. Malahan kaum-kaum yang dahulunya pendatang berupaya meraih kekayaan hasil dari dasar-dasar Kerajaan yang menguntungkan semua kaum. Kepada Kerajaan: Biarkan stateless ini mereput di UK! Padan muka!
ODS: Apa yang ada dalam kepala mereka? Entahlah.. hanya Tuhan dan mereka sahaja yang tahu.
Terima kasih diatas komen saudara. 🙂
ODS,
Congratulations on your 100th article. Consolation on your being pissed off. May I join you in pissing those traitors off.
They really are traitors. The dictionary definition of a traitor is: “one who violates his allegiance or acts disloyally (to country, king, cause, etc)”. The definition of being loyal is: “True, faithful, to duty, love, or obligation”. The definitions fit in very well with those ungrateful blokes.
They shout about citizenship (30,000 still in the queue according to recent news
reports), the young ones got them by right of birth, all their grandparents or parents were stateless under the British colonial rule in Malaya. There’s no force, coercion, inhuman treatment or suffering like what Idi Amin and some others did to people in their countries. Yet they tore Malaysian passports, renounced Malaysian citizenship and badmouthed Malaysia to the press, demonstrated in the streets of London and God knows what profanities they may have used against Malaysia, the Government and others to get sympathy from the public there.
I support the opinion that they must not be taken back. There’s no benefit to the country taking them back. In fact, it’d be a burden to the country if they are allowed back. We’ll never know what they’d do next. They might even sell the country. We can’t expect any loyalty from this kind of people. I’m glad Mah Ngah Tong above feels the way he does about these fellows.
I’m pretty sure the British officials also know what kind of people these suckers are. How can you say I’ve torn my Malaysian passport and give me permanent stay? However liberal the British may be, they may not be able to stomach these. That’s why so many were stranded at Heathrow airport for weeks seeing only four walls and a smattering of people, not being allowed entry into London yet cannot fly out because they had deliberately torn their passports.
No such thing as sympathy for such people. They knew there’s no logic in doing what they did. They were trying to force the issue to the British officials. Rather gangsterish, don’t you think? And don’t let Malaysian officials at any level think of them as any other than traitors and they must not be allowed entry to Malaysia at all from now on.
ODS: Thank you Isa. It is indeed frustrating to see how the ungratefuls make such a fuss over their own disloyalty towards Malaysia.
Thank you for your comments Isa. 🙂
Dear Sir and Readers,
Please do excuse me for posting something out of topic.
Please cast your vote for this survey:-
“SHOULD the British Overseas Citizen (BOC) BE OFFERED BACK Malaysian Citizenship ?”
at:-
http://tersenarai.blogspot.com/
(Alternatively, you can CLICK HERE TO VOTE)
Thank you for your time. I appreciate it.
Kenn
sorry!!!! disregard the first sentence. Not out of topic after all!! heheheheh
ODS: No problem Kenn! 🙂
ODS, I agree that the traitors should not be taken back. They are TRAITORS AND DISLOYAL. Frankly, I don’t think other countries will take them either. If they can tear up the Malaysian passport, they can also tear up the passport of the country that will help them. It is opportunism on their part, isn’t it? Who wants to help opportunists? Habis madu sepah dibuang type. Let them wash plates all over the British Isles. Padan muka.
The government should not listen to the Bar Council. Who are they anyway?
ODS: Thank you the bee.
For me, the Bar Council are supposedly the one give legal advise based on as many as circumstances and on neutral side. Based on this case, IF they were asked for such opinion, they SHOULD give opinion based on the case and the circumstances.
Anyway the bee, you put a smile on my face this morning… 🙂
The Bar Council comprises of mostly responsible and many eminent practising lawyers of the country. There are always the black sheep in any community. But the black sheeping has been markedly noticeable even since Tun Dr Mahathir’s time, to the extent that TDM has periodically asked them to put their house in order.
Of late one wonders the kind of calibre members have elected to the Committee. How can you not wonder when Edmund Bon, said to be heading the Human Rights section, speak for the taking back of those traitors? Not only taking back, also giving them citizenship again! What utter nonsense! The fellow has lost credibility when doing that. Those fellows are traitors by any definition of the dictionary.
ODS: Thank you for your comment, Friend of the bee. 🙂
Salam ODS,
Kita tak kisah sangat kalau mereka ini mahukan kerakyatan lain. Kalau dah rasa diri itu tak boleh nak tumpahkan taat setia kepada M’sia adalah lebih baik serahkan saja kerakyatan M’sia tu. Dan mereka cukup berani berbuat demikian. Tahniah kepada mereka. TETAPI, memburuk2kan dgn kenyataan dan tohmahan yg dibuat tidak boleh diterima.
Yang peliknya kenapa Anifah Aman mahu membantu stateless ini? Tidakkah Anifah terfikir bahawa selaku Menteri Luar dia sbnrnya bertindak atas kapasiti Kerajaan Malaysia. Tindakan cuba membantu mencari penyelesaian seumpama Kerajaan masih lagi mengiktiraf mereka ini warganegara. Sedangkan jelas stateless itu TIDAK ADA HAK sbg warganegara yang mewajarkan Kerajaan melakukan apa2 tindakan dan usaha. Harap Anifah faham perkara tersebut.
Dan bertambah pelik lagi bila mana peguam Bar Council tunggangan Pakatan Rakyat seperti Edmund Bon dan Latifah Koya cuba berlagak menjadi pejuang kononnya, dengan menggesa Kerajaan menerima kembali stateless ini? Dan memberikan semula kerakyatan? Biar betul Edmund Bon & Latifah Koya ni? Dia tahu ke apa yang stateless ini perjuangkan di UK? Mereka sudah tidak mahu menjadi rakyat Msia (bukan ditipu atau sebagainya) dan mereka mmg mengaku rakyat UK (rujuk blog cause yang dibuat oleh mereka).
Jadi apa ke bodoh Edmund Bon dan Latifah Koya dari Bar Council ini nak bawa mereka ini pulang? Nak cari polulariti politik? Edmund Bon – Elok you pergi tolong stateless ni cuci pinggan di UK!
ODS: Terima kasih di atas komen saudara Kembara Politik.
Memang agak menghairankan tindakan yang diambil oleh Anifah Aman. Lain sungguh bunyinya dengan Hishamuddin.
Bar Council? Tidak menghairankan bagi saya. Sudah lama saya menggelengkan kepala dengan tindakan yang diambil oleh mereka dalam kebanyakan isu.
Salam ODS,
Tak hairanla kalau Bar Council bersimpati dengan pembelot2 tu, BC sendiri lagaknya seperti Dap. Kemungkinan besar ramai dari BC punya saudara mara dikalangan pembelot2 tersebut. Tidak pun, kecaman2 pembelot terhadap Malaysia senada seirama dengan laungan2 kononnya ‘hak samarata’ BC cuma mereka lebih selangkah kedepan – imigrasi dan koyak pasport. Kalau tanpa perbuatan itu, tidak ada bezanya pembelot2 itu dengan sebahagian mereka dalam BC. Jadi simpati tu agak ‘dekat’ dihati puak2 BC.
Semuanya berbalik kepada isu pemahaman dan penerimaan mereka terhadap kontrek sosial bilamana kewarganegaraan diberikan kepada toknenek mereka. Generasi asal menghargai kemurahan hati orang2 Melayu tika itu kerana mereka ‘merasa’ keadaan tika itu. Anak cucu mereka yang dilahirkan secara otomatis warganegara tidak dapat memahami kenapa perlunya mereka dibezakan dengan warga bumi. Mereka tidak ‘merasa’ dan tidak dididik untuk memahami sejarah. Makanya mereka merasa mereka berjuang demi keadilan.
Dan bila mereka menyuarakan ketidakpuasan hati mereka kepada dunia luar – mengikut versi mereka tanpa mengambilkira faktor sejarah- pastinya memberi kesan negatif kepada kerajaan khususnya bangsa Melayu.
Seharusnya para pemimpin melihat kes ini dan apa yang sedang berlaku dikalangan pembangkang akhir2 ini tentang betapa pentingnya isu2 sepertimana yang diperjuangkan puak2 SSS. Mereka harus berfikiran jauh dan berani bertindak.
Jika anak kita (nauzubillah) menjadi segala yang negatif, sekiranya dia dijadikan study case, pastinya kita akan mengambilkira faktor penjagaan ibubapa, pendidikan, pergaulan dan persekitaran semasa dia dibesarkan sebagai faktor2 utama menjadikan dia sebagaimana dirinya bila dewasa.
Dalam kes pembelot2 ni, cuba kita jadikan mereka study case juga…. ada pengajaran dan perkara positif yang dapat digunakan. Hentam, hentam juga…. Pihak SSS diharap ada baca ni..:)
ODS: Terima kasih saudara dinturtle..
Berdasarkan komen saudara.. timbul beberapa persoalan.. apakah mungkin BC terpengaruh dengan DAP? Atau mungkin BC mempunyai agenda mereka yang tersendiri? Apakah yang mereka boleh memperolehi dengan bertindak sedemikian rupa (dengan melibatkan perkara yang melibatkan politik Malaysia dan luar negara)?
Persoalan yang seterusnya.. bagaimana pula pemahaman dan pengetahuan generasi muda tentang perkara ini? Atau mereka tidak kisah dengan perkara ini?
Aduhai.. sedih dan risau mengenangkan generasi muda yang rasakan mereka terlalu “world” tapi kurang penghayatan sejarah untuk teladan…
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