Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail publicly denied claims that the Home Ministry granted citizenship en masse to foreign nationals in Malaysia. He said the claim that 1.2 million Chinese nationals remained in the country is false and has been repeatedly rejected with explanations supported by official data and facts [1, 2, 3, 4].
Saifuddin warned that some parties continue to deliberately recycle videos, posters, and narratives promoting these false claims despite official corrections. "I have repeatedly rejected these claims and provided explanations backed by facts and official data. Yet some parties continue to deliberately recycle videos, posters and narratives that have already been corrected to confuse the public and stir racial tensions and hatred," he said [2].
The minister said such defamatory claims damage reputations, undermine public confidence in government institutions, stir racial hatred, disrupt public order, and threaten national security [1, 2, 3, 4].
He urged the public to stop spreading these reports and not exploit sensitive issues for political interests or social media attention. "Use social media responsibly. Facts are facts, and data is data. Do not let false claims override the truth," Saifuddin said, calling on citizens to verify information with official sources before accepting or sharing it [1, 2, 3, 4].
Several posters alleging mass citizenship grants have been circulated widely on social media, fueling the false narrative despite official denials [1, 2, 3, 4].
Saifuddin made these statements on August 19, reaffirming the government’s stance and stressing responsible social media use [1, 2, 3, 4].
