KUALA LUMPUR: The alleged mistreatment of a woman and her daughter at a Johor immigration counter due to their lack of Malay proficiency is unacceptable as it is not a legal requirement for passport renewal, says Datuk Seri Li Tian Ker.
The senator and former MCA vice president has chastised the officers for overstepping their authority and mistreating the individuals, adding that the incident raises major concerns about how people are treated when renewing their passports.
"It is very unfortunate that the officers, instead of facilitating and discharging their duties, are taking matters into their own hands to penalise citizens of the country.
"It is the officers duty and responsibility to check the validity of the documents and not choose to bully or take punitive measures upon these individuals who could be victims of circumstances or situations.
"For example some may not be educated or are not receiving formal education due to poverty and others. Are we going to punish them further instead of helping them?" he said in a statement adding that immigration officers had taken upon themselves to penalise the citizens and do not go into the root of the issue.
His response followed a woman's social media posting claiming that she had been mistreated by an immigration officer at the Johor UTC for her inability to speak Malay when renewing her daughter's passport.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail defended the Immigration Department officer adding that the officer's actions were likely taken due to suspicions about the individual's citizenship status when they were not proficient in Bahasa Malaysia.
Li said Malaysia had a diverse society where individuals should feel comfortable speaking their preferred language without discrimination.
However, he clarified that while applying for citizenship, knowing Malay was required by law.
"The home ministry's focus on the importance of Malay language is valid, given its status as the official language but in promoting Malay language, we must also uphold the laws and respect these individuals citizenship rights and accord their dignity and not subject them to indignity or bullying," he said.
Ti also called on the government to ensure that "Little Napoleons" were not taking the law into their own hands.
"The government must ensure that officers follow the law and be held accountable to the procedures put in place," he said.
He was echoed by Former Penang deputy chief minister P. Ramasamy who said there were no elements in the law or government regulations that stipulate that an individual renewing the passport must be proficient in Bahasa Malaysia or must have passed a language examination.
He added that there was no reason for Saifuddin to blindly defend the immigration officer for being rude.