PRIORITY will be given to citizenship applications for illegitimate and adopted children, Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said.

He said this is because such applications are the most numerous. The second most high number of citizenship applications are for children born abroad to Malaysian women married to foreigners.

“There is a high number of applications for citizenship for children born out of wedlock. These children should not be discriminated against because of their parents,” he said in Sungai Nibong today.

“So we are giving priority to their applications. Last year, we achieved the target of resolving 14,000 cases. Now that number has reached over 15,000, and we will maintain the same momentum this year.”

He said there were also a few applications for naturalisation.

Meanwhile, Saifuddin said police have received a report about the leaked investigation papers on the murder of autistic child Zayn Rayyan Abdul Matiin. He said the matter was under investigation.

Police investigation details were purportedly leaked less than a day after Zayn’s parents pleaded not guilty to a charge of neglecting their child.

A Telegram group had uploaded what it said were the parents’ statements to investigators.

On whether the government would block the Telegram app following the leak, Saifuddin said that was up to Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil to decide. – June 16, 2024.