Wilfred Yap Angry At Flasifying Citizenship Of Foreign Born Footballers

suppadmin | October 9, 2025

Kota Sentosa State assemblyman Wilfred Yap expressed outrage over the recent findings from FIFA’s investigation, which alleged that falsified citizenship documents were used for several foreign born footballers.

He said the revelation is not only a sporting scandal but also a national embarrassment, especially as Sarawak’s name was reportedly cited falsely as the birthplace of one player’s grandparent to justify Malaysian citizenship eligibility.

“This is an act of deception that insults Sarawak’s integrity and raises serious questions about the credibility of the federal verification process,” he said.

Yap reminded that under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) and the 18 Point Agreement, Sarawak has constitutional autonomy over immigration, as stipulated in Point 6 and Article 161E of the Federal Constitution, which prevents Parliament from altering this right without the consent of the Sarawak Legislature.

“If Sarawak’s name can be falsely used in citizenship or ancestry documents, it shows a serious flaw in the federal verification system, which currently centralises citizenship and birth registration under federal agencies,” he added.

He stressed that such incidents could have been prevented if Sarawak had greater administrative and operational control in verifying citizenship records originating from the state.

“At present, birth registration and the issuance of birth certificates fall under the National Registration Department (JPN), a federal agency. Sarawak should be given greater administrative empowerment to issue birth certificates through its own State National Registration division, supervised by Sarawak civil servants but harmonised with federal records,” Yap said.

He outlined that granting Sarawak this power would enhance the accuracy and authenticity of local birth data, prevent fraudulent claims of Sarawakian ancestry, and expedite the resolution of stateless cases involving children genuinely born in Sarawak.

Yap said this proposal aligns with the spirit of MA63 and the principle of administrative devolution that the GPS led Sarawak Government has been advocating.

“The GPS led government has already demonstrated its capability through various mobile registration and verification initiatives. Allowing Sarawak greater oversight in citizenship verification, especially when Sarawak’s name or documents are cited, will protect both Sarawak’s and Malaysia’s reputation,” he added.

Yap called on the Federal Government and the Ministry of Home Affairs to conduct a full internal investigation into how falsified ancestry claims naming Sarawak were approved, strengthen Sarawak Federal verification cooperation, and consider empowering Sarawak to issue its own birth certificates through a state managed system integrated with JPN.

“These steps will help restore confidence in the integrity of Malaysia’s citizenship system and honour the commitments made to Sarawak under MA63,” he said.

He concluded, “Sarawak’s name must never again be misused in falsified documents. Our rights under MA63 are not symbolic; they are legal guarantees that protect Sarawak’s identity, integrity, and autonomy within the Federation. Strengthening Sarawak’s authority in birth documentation and citizenship verification is not just about autonomy, it is about protecting Malaysia’s integrity.