No To Another Ineffective Rci For Heritage Players Scandal

---

 


YOURSAY | ‘Probe and charge the culprits in court.’
PN calls for RCI to probe ‘heritage’ players fiasco
Koel: Firstly, we do not need another ineffective royal commission of inquiry (RCI) to investigate the scandal involving “heritage” players.
As the act amounts to treason against the country, there needs to be a thorough investigation, and those responsible need to be charged in court. They should also be suspended from all duties immediately.
Secondly, the National Registration Department (NRD) is answerable to the people of Malaysia.
So, please, tell us: Why are there many Malaysians born in this country who continue to be stateless and disenfranchised, although they have immediate family ties in this country?
As a result of what appears to be state cruelty, these Malaysians do not have access to education and the means to survive (livelihood). Many are dependent on families and on the kindness of strangers.
Meanwhile, we read in local and international news media that seven foreigners were apparently given citizenship papers. They have allegedly secured those papers practically overnight. We are told that they were given their papers on “hearsay” evidence?
The BBC news reported that the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) allegedly submitted forged documents on behalf of these players.
In an astonishing round of finger-pointing, the FAM blames the matter on “administrative error”. Are we to assume that this is referring to NRD?
Despite the forgery being termed “administrative error”, the FAM brazenly claims that the players are, nevertheless, “legitimate citizens”. This is shocking, as these are allegedly “forged documents” we are talking about.
Does FAM realise how silly the country and its structures are made to look with this brazen claim? If you are running some tinpot administration, best not to go declaring it proudly to the world.
Amid this scandal, the gravest injustice continues to be perpetrated against many stateless Malaysians who are deserving of their legitimate citizenship.
If a foreigner can just walk with “hearsay” evidence into our agencies and walk out with an instant citizenship, as indicated by the news, why has NRD failed to do its duty to the country and its people?
Let’s have the number of stateless people in the country, and let’s hear why they are being denied proper status. We need the answers immediately.
OCT: There is no way the government will form an RCI to investigate this fiasco, as it purportedly involves VVIPs and ministers. As RCIs have no prosecution power, it is thus for show only.
When the government is allegedly complicit in deceit, it brings shame, disrespect, lies, and allegations of corruption to Malaysia. Due to this, government documents may not be trusted to be accurate, factual, and truthful.
Malaysia’s reputation, image, integrity, trust, and honesty have gone down the drain. No country will have any trust in what the government says, does, writes and/or broadcasts. Once trust is gone, image and reputation risk erosion.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is expected to keep silent as a mouse. He will be seen to play deaf, dumb and blind on this fiasco.
This is unlike his “stern warning” towards Tourism, Arts, and Culture Minister Tiong King Sing over an industry dinner that the latter attended, which served alcohol.
Don’t expect Anwar to reprimand anyone, and I expect his official reply to be “leave it to the relevant authorities to investigate the matter”.
Eventually, the SOP would be said to be loose and not foolproof. There will be a revision to the SOP. And nobody is at fault.
The idea of bringing glory that will upgrade our status in football will now be in tatters. FAM is expected to pay tonnes of money for fines, players’ sanction fees, annual salaries, food and lodging, including all incidental expenses for the players.
These will add up to a huge sum of money, and the rakyat have to foot these consequential discretionary expenses.
Lastly, Malaysia’s International Federation of Association Football rating for the coming year will take a beating. In short, FAM can take Malaysians for a ride, but when it comes to international bodies, there is no way FAM can get away with it.
They don’t succumb to preferences and privileges. Let this be a lesson that cheating, if the allegations are true, is not an easy game to score.
GanMu: Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail and the heads of NRD and FAM are jointly and severely responsible for this most degrading and embarrassing act for Malaysia.
This is treachery of the first order, and we expect all three of them to be suspended with immediate effect, pending inquiry.
This action is necessary if the PM wants to show the world, and to Malaysians in particular, that his government means business.
NRD, as the sole authority in charge of issuing ICs, has betrayed the trust of the top civil department in upholding its integrity and professionalism.
No amount of excuses can absolve the trio; with this act, they have lost the trust and confidence of all Malaysians.
The country has been shamed internationally. The government has to do something about this to try to clean up the act. - Mkini

---