Malaysian But Can’t Speak BM? Yes, You Can Renew Your Passport

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A recent Facebook sharing of an incident where a senior citizen’s Bahasa Melayu proficiency was questioned when she wanted to renew her passport sparked widespread debate on social media.

The incident was said to have happened at the Urban Transformation Centre (UTC) in Komtar, Penang.

The Facebook post, made by the senior citizen’s son, has since been deleted.

As the matter was heavily discussed on social media, Immigration Department’s director-general Datuk Ruslin Jusoh clarified that immigration officers are not permitted to deny any passport renewal or new passport application simply because the applicant is not proficient in the national language (Bahasa Melayu).

“I would like to clarify that in fulfilling their responsibilities, immigration officers will conduct random checks in various aspects to verify applications. However, these checks must be conducted professionally and with courtesy,” Ruslin said in a statement.

With regard to the viral complaint, Ruslin said the senior citizen was able to renew her passport on 22 April (Monday).

“The Immigration Department is committed to providing good customer service and always reminds the officers to assist customers according to the prescribed standard operating procedure,” he added.

What was the fuss?

In the now-deleted post, the man said his father’s passport renewal went smoothly.

However, he claimed that his mother’s renewal process was cut short by an officer who allegedly refused to proceed because she could not speak Bahasa Melayu despite being a Malaysian.

The man said he told the officer that his mother could only speak minimal BM as she was poor and did not complete her education.

He claimed the officer did not budge and told them to come back the next day to meet with another officer.

It is unclear why the man deleted his post but he has also not provided an update that is available for public view with regard to the incident.

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