How do NRD policies create barriers for stateless applicants like Velmurugan?

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National Registration Department Policies Create Significant Barriers for Stateless Applicants

The National Registration Department (NRD) employs policies and relies on constitutional interpretations that create substantial obstacles for individuals like Velmurugan, female J, and male D seeking Malaysian citizenship, even when they are born and raised within the country. These bureaucratic and legal frameworks often result in denials, with officials citing unmet conditions and limitations on their authority as the primary reasons. The cases of Velmurugan, who is 38, and the younger individuals J, aged 30, and D, aged 28, exemplify how complex documentation requirements and stringent interpretations of existing laws can leave individuals stateless, despite clear familial ties to Malaysian citizens.
Inconclusive Documentation Leads to Denials

For Velmurugan, the lack of conclusive documentation from his late mother has directly impacted his own application for citizenship. Despite being born and raised in Malaysia, and having a Malaysian wife and children, his application was rejected because his mother's paperwork was deemed insufficient. This reliance on historical and sometimes incomplete documentation, particularly when a parent is deceased, creates an insurmountable hurdle for many stateless individuals, effectively barring them from establishing their claim to citizenship. The NRD’s strict adherence to documentary evidence, without sufficient alternative pathways for verification, perpetuates their statelessness.
Constitutional Interpretation and Procedural Limitations

Officials from the NRD and other relevant government bodies have indicated that their hands are tied by existing constitutional provisions and departmental policies when processing applications from individuals like J and D. These individuals possess proven Malaysian fathers, as confirmed by DNA tests, but their mothers are of Indonesian and Filipino nationality, with their origins in those countries being officially unconfirmed. The NRD's interpretation of the Constitution and related laws appears to necessitate definitive proof of both parents' nationalities or origins, a standard that is exceptionally difficult to meet in cases where foreign national parents are absent or their documentation is problematic. This procedural rigidity means that even strong familial connections to Malaysia are insufficient if all stipulated documentary requirements are not met precisely.
Lack of Diplomatic or Alternative Verification Channels

The difficulties faced by J and D are further compounded by the fact that both Indonesia and the Philippines have confirmed that these individuals do not originate from their respective countries. This official confirmation from the countries of alleged maternal origin should, in principle, simplify their cases. However, the NRD's stance suggests that such confirmations are not a substitute for the primary documentation or specific evidentiary standards they require. The absence of a clear process for alternative verification or diplomatic channels to resolve such discrepancies means that individuals caught in these complex cross-border citizenship issues are left without recourse, reinforcing the barriers erected by the NRD's policies.

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How do NRD policies create barriers for stateless applicants like Velmurugan?

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