DAP calls on the Barisan National Government to honour its General Election pledge to give a fair deal to the 300,000 stateless persons in Malaysia.
During the 1974 General Election campaign leaders made capital of Tun Razak’s trip to Peking and his meetings with Communist Chinese leaders like Mae Tze- Tung and Premier Cheu En Lai and promised that the 300,000 stateless persons in Malaysia would ne given a fair and just deal by the Government.
The people were made to believe that at long last; holders of red identity cards who fulfilled all the conditions for Malaysian citizenship would be able to become Malaysian citizens and become fully part of the country.
It is new nearly a year since the last General Election but net a word had been said about the let of the 300,000 stateless persons in Malaysia. It would appear that the Barisan National and in particular the MCA and Gerakan leaders have conveniently forgotten about the sufferings and hardships about these 300,000 stateless persons, the large majority in all respect Malaysians except from the legal point of view.
The DAP calls on the Barisan National Government to honour its general election pledge to give a fair deal to these 300,000 stateless persons and to conduct an exercise to speedily grant citizenship to those who meet all the residential and all qualifications laid down under the country’s citizenship laws.