Minister with a golden heart
Recent news reports highlight the humane treatment extended to students from southern Thailand—where school facilities are often not on par with those available to Malaysian children—by Malaysia’s Minister of Home Affairs, Saifuddin Nasution Ismail. His approach reflects a commendable degree of compassion and empathy in the exercise of public office.
Law is law, but at the very least, Saifuddin has demonstrated the compassionate face of law enforcement. These children pose no threat to national security; they cross the border for a simple and legitimate purpose—to attend school. Recognising this, Saifuddin went beyond a symbolic visit undertaken for publicity. He instructed the Director-General of Immigration to facilitate the students’ access to education through proper and lawful channels.
Saifuddin's example reflects well about the Islam that he believes in. He shows me how a government minister can live up to his Islamic values and still enforcing the laws. I believe it would have been different if these were not children, but adults who pretended to be students who enrolled in these schools just to get a visa to stay in Malaysia.
As a practical measure, border gates are now opened earlier to allow these children to cross the otherwise “invisible borders” in time for their classes. For families living in towns along the Thai–Malaysian border, the border itself is little more than an invisible line visible only on a map—one that cannot be crossed without proper documentation, even for the most basic needs such as education.
Saifuddin could have strictly enforced the law by barring these children from entering Malaysia until all travel documents were in order. Instead, what this minister with a golden heart chose to do was to assist them in regularising their status by facilitating applications for proper documentation. In doing so, he upheld the law while ensuring that it was tempered with humanity, proving that compassion and the rule of law need not be mutually exclusive.
I hold Saifuddin in high regard, particularly for the manner in which the Ministry of Home Affairs has been steered since he assumed leadership. In contrast to earlier periods marked by a more rigid and security-focused posture, the current administration has demonstrated a notably more humane orientation. Of particular note is the joint effort by Saifuddin and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to address the longstanding plight of stateless persons in Malaysia.
Their engagement with the Conference of Rulers, which culminated in royal assent to measures addressing this issue, represents a significant milestone. For decades, statelessness has affected an estimated 50,000 individuals, depriving them of basic rights and a sense of national belonging. Progress on this front is therefore both meaningful and overdue.
Importantly, these efforts offer little in the way of direct political gain. Many of those affected do not reside in Saifuddin’s constituency and are therefore unlikely to confer any immediate electoral advantage. This underscores the sincerity of the initiative, which appears motivated less by political calculation than by a genuine commitment to reform. In this respect, Saifuddin’s actions exemplify the broader aspirations of the Madani government to pursue governance rooted in compassion, justice, and the long-term national interest.
This is why, when critics—including some politicians—claim that the Madani government has done little to implement reforms, I respectfully disagree. In many cases, those making such assertions are themselves responsible for shortcomings during their time in office, when much more could have been done within their own ministries to deliver the outcomes the rakyat continue to seek.
At the same time, as rakyat, we recognise that many of the challenges confronting the country today are the accumulated result of decades of neglect. Meaningful reform cannot reasonably be expected to materialise overnight. We are therefore prepared to accord the current government more time—certainly more than a mere six months—to demonstrate deeper and more lasting transformation, in line with the changes we sincerely hope to see. Importantly, these efforts offer little in the way of direct political gain. Many of those affected do not reside in Saifuddin’s constituency and are therefore unlikely to confer any immediate electoral advantage. This underscores the sincerity of the initiative, which appears motivated less by political calculation than by a genuine commitment to reform. In this respect, Saifuddin’s actions exemplify the broader aspirations of the Madani government to pursue governance rooted in compassion, justice, and the long-term national interest.
This is why, when critics—including some cabinet ministers—claim that the Madani government has done little to implement reforms, I respectfully disagree. In many cases, those making such assertions are themselves responsible for shortcomings during their time in office, when much more could have been done within their own ministries to deliver the outcomes the rakyat continue to seek. They only have to work harder to deliver the reforms collectively as a cabinet, rather than to give up midway. We have seen after two elections since 2008, Penang has taken off to a new height from the third terms on. Then chief minister Lim Guan Eng, and his successor, Chow Kon Yeow have worked hard on developing the island state, making it attractive to major investors from the electronics industry. Before 2008, I remember my family would not even walk near the Komtar building due to the strong stench from the garbage bin.
We, as the rakyat, at the same time recognise that many of the challenges confronting the country today are the accumulated result of decades of neglect. Meaningful reform cannot reasonably be expected to materialise overnight. The more sensible poeple among us are therefore prepared to accord the current government more time—certainly more than a mere six months—to demonstrate deeper and more lasting transformation, in line with the changes we sincerely hope to see. To give the Prime Minister an ultimatum of six months to deliver all the reforms is like pronouncing a death sentence on a cancer patient who need to still hang on to hope, and fight on.
I have seen people like a medical specialist in Kota Kinabalu, Dr Philip Lyn coming out clean of stage 4 cancer, and even recently, I was amazed by the story of this young man, Walter who managed to survive Stage 4 leukamia. With men, it may seem impossbile but with God all things are possible to those who believe in God, but it is not for us or anyone to put God to the test when we know the state of the country we are in is as a result pf decades pf decadence due to corruption and abuse of power.
History has shown that Malaysia has endured profound setbacks, particularly after reaching its lowest ebb following the exposure of the 1MDB scandal by the United States Department of Justice. Yet nations, like individuals, can recover when given time, effort, and collective will.
Today, Malaysia has demonstrated notable resilience in navigating economic uncertainty linked to conflicts in the Middle East, standing tall as one of two economies showing the capacity to weather these external shocks. The other is China. This progress did not come about through belief alone, nor policy alone, but through a combination of reform, patience, and societal resolve. Hope—whether grounded in faith, reason, or shared values—remains an essential ingredient in any meaningful recovery.
"At its core, Madani is not merely a political slogan or a religious construct, but a framework for humane and civilised governance. While the word itself is derived from madinah—a city or civilisation—it speaks fundamentally to how a society treats its people, especially the most vulnerable. Compassion is therefore not peripheral to Madani; it is central to it."
Saifuddin's example in resolving the plight of the Thai students is an investment into the future relationships between Malaysia and Thailand, while Hannah's initiative to slash rental of all stalls owned by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall exemplify this people-first value that we would like to see in the government of the day.
I must acknowledge once again that, while there remain a number of cases in which individuals—despite being born and raised in Malaysia to at least one Malaysian parent—have yet to receive citizenship, the majority of cases I have handled have been resolved under Article 15(A) of the Federal Constitution. This represents meaningful progress.
I am hopeful that, in due course, the remaining cases will also be resolved favourably. After all, one must ask a fundamental question: where else are these individuals supposed to go? It is neither reasonable nor humane to contemplate sending them to a country tied only tenuously to a parent they may never have known, to a place they have never lived in, never studied in, and perhaps never even set foot in. Malaysia is the only home they know.
Granting citizenship in such cases is not merely an administrative decision; it is a reaffirmation of belonging, dignity, and common sense—values that should guide any compassionate and civilised society.
In all honesty, I wish our Opposition members can demonstrate even better Madani values. Let the competition begin to see who is more compassionate, rather than waste time on petty issues that irk the public each time they are being brought up in the public domain. We want to be a progressive nation that can benefit every person, regardless of ethnicity or religion they adhere to. If there are no good examples to emulate, let this good example set by the Madani Home Minister be a great example to emulate.
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