On June 24, MEA officials turned a few heads by announcing that a passport is only a travel document, and not conclusive proof of citizenship. There was much consternation at this statement, and it generated more heat than light.
For starters, the statement is, strictly speaking, correct. Citizenship is a legal status that accrues to an individual by virtue of fulfilling terms and conditions outlined in certain governing instruments, that is, Articles 5-11 of the Constitution, and Citizenship Act 1955, itself made and amended from time to time under the terms of Article 11.
