Citizenship panel presents hearings report to minister

Story by LESLIE OMARO
A REPORT on the citizenship hearings held in Lae, Morobe, on Feb 10 was finally presented to Minister for Foreign Affairs and Immigration Ano Pala in Port Moresby on Monday.
Goilala MP and Citizenship Advisory Committee (CAC) chairman Mathew Poia told Pala the report contained recommendations of its consideration of applications for citizenship by naturalisation.
The applicants included three Vietnamese (refugees), a Russian, a Malaysian, a Chinese and an Australian.
“Some of these (applications) have been outstanding since 2010,” Poia said.
He said the final decision on the granting of citizenship by naturalisation would be made by Pala.
The committee members include Jack Cameron (deputy chairman), Dr Lawrence Kalinoe (permanent member) and Mataio Rabura (permanent member), who were formally installed on Jan 20, 2012.
Poia commended the committee members and thanked the Department of Justice and Attorney-General, Immigration and Citizenship Services and ad hoc members for Western, Eastern Highlands and NCD for their respective reports on the applicants.
Pala, who is the Rigo MP, said he was pleased the committee under Poia had convened its first hearing.
“Congratulations on the report because you have presented it to me two months after your appointment,” he said.
“This demonstrates your willingness to do your duty and you have done all the hard work considering you gave me the benefit to make the decisions.
“The public and the country will benefit and this will inform the citizens that the process is effective.”
Pala said as soon as he went through the report he would make a decision and then confirm the awarding of citizenship to the applicants.
Pala said this was the first report he had received since 2010 because there was no citizenship hearings held last year.
Rabura said foreigners who wanted to become Papua New Guinea citizens must be able to meet the requirements and criteria set by the committee.
He was replying to questions regarding procedures foreigners must follow when applying to become a PNG citizen.
“Some of the requirements they must follow are they must be able to speak two of country’s main three languages and go for police checks,” he said.