State polls: I have a New Zealand PR, not citizenship, says Pakatan candidate

BUTTERWORTH: Pakatan Harapan’s Sungai Puyu candidate Phee Syn Tze says that she has a permanent residency (PR) to study and work in New Zealand and not a citizenship.

Responding to queries on social media about her citizenship, Syn Tze said she went to study in New Zealand in 1997 and subsequently found work there, so applying for PR in that country made it more expedient.

Phee added that she decided to return to Malaysia in 2008.

“My family is settled in Malaysia. My husband runs a business here. I want my children to grow up here so that they will learn many languages and cultures,” she told Chinese media journalists recently in response to comments on social media wondering about her citizenship.

The 38-year-old Syn Tze is the daughter of Phee Boon Poh, who has been an assemblyman in Penang for five terms after contesting in state seats seven times since 1990.