KUALA LUMPUR: Majority of senior citizens fail Malay language test in citizenship application, says Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.

This is one of the reasons seniors’ applications for citizenship have been rejected, he said in reply to Tanjung Piai Member of Parliament Datuk Seri Dr. Wee Jeck Seng in Dewan Rakyat on Monday.

“We study the language test in other countries. Those who apply for citizenship are required to master the official language of the country,” he said.

Saifuddin said the passing mark for the Malay language test is eight points, but those who failed scored only one point.

“As long as the applicant can reply ‘sama-sama’ after the phrase ‘terima kasih,’ or ‘khabar baik’ if greeted with ‘apa khabar,’ the citizenship application will be approved,” he said.

For the past 10 months, Saifuddin said the home ministry handled a total of 10,381 cases of citizenship applications, mainly for adoption and stateless children.

He refuted an allegation by Tawau Member of Parliament Lo Su Fui that the government was not serious in handling the citizenship cases.

“Without citizenship, the children are unable to attend school and have to pay high fees in hospital. We have instructed ministry officials to resolve this issue first but we are maliciously accused of approving citizenships for Chinese nationals,” he said.

Saifuddin also said his ministry had launched a program called MEKAR with easy access to services such as registration for births, deaths and identification cards, along with advice catering to residents in the interior and rural areas.