Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak on Tuesday brushed off an opposition claim that hundreds of thousands of Malaysian Indians were without citizenship papers. The government had launched a nationwide initiative in June following claims from opposition figures that there were 300,000 stateless Indians in the country. Although Indians arrived in Malaysia a century ago, many of their descendants still lack formal status. Kuala Lumpur-based Lawyers For Liberty argues that whether the number is 30,000 or 300,000 should not be the issue. Instead, there should be an acceptance that there are stateless communities with genuine and effective links to Malaysia.