Malaysian PM Condemns CAA, Country's Envoy Summoned by India

New Delhi, December 22, 2019:

India has sent a strong message to Malaysia, terming the remarks of Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad “ill-informed and insensitive” on the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has summoned the Malaysian envoy and lodged a ‘solemn protest’ over the remarks of the Malaysian PM. According to reports citing a government source, Mahathir’s comments were not aiding bilateral ties and that Malaysia was asked to take a long-term and strategic view of its relations with India.

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Mahathir, at a press briefing in Kuala Lumpur, said that the police action on the protesters was “very unfortunate”, adding, “India is a secular state from the start…Religion of the people did not prevent them from becoming citizens.”

The Malaysian PM further said, “I am sorry to see that India, which claims to be a secular state, is now taking action to deprive some Muslims of their citizenship…If we do that here, you know what will happen. There will be chaos, there will be instability and everyone will suffer.”

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The MEA, in a statement, has clarified that the C(A)A did not affect the status of any citizen in any manner. It also stated that the Citizenship Act did not deprive any Indian of any faith of her or his citizenship.

“The Citizenship Amendment Act provides for citizenship through naturalization to be fast-tracked for non-citizens who are persecuted minorities from three countries... Therefore, the Prime Minister of Malaysia’s comment is factually inaccurate. We call upon Malaysia to refrain from commenting on internal developments in India, especially without a right understanding of the facts,” read the statement.

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