SABAH plans to expedite the registration of children under the age of 21 who do not meet Malaysia’s citizenship criteria.
A federal-state joint committee and a task force have been formed to resolve these citizenship issues following approval by the Sabah cabinet.
Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said the Sabah Special Committee on Citizenship Status (JKKSK) and the task force would be co-chaired by the home minister and him.
These bodies would focus on registering children and individuals under 21 who lack proper documentation.
Hajiji said the registration process would be conducted under the ambits of Article 15A and Article 18 of the Federal Constitution.
“The special committee will scrutinise, coordinate, and expedite backlogs and new applications related to citizenship under Article 15A of the Constitution,” he said.
Automatic citizenship is only granted to children of Malaysian fathers. However, Malaysian mothers do not have the same right.
Citizenship falls under the jurisdiction of the federal government.
Hajiji said Sabah wanted to deal with this matter as children being born in Sabah without identification cards was a rampant occurrence.
This resulted in them not being able to access education, he said.
“This is often due to parental negligence,” he added.
The Sabah Registration Department, the National Registration and Organisation Division, and the Home Ministry would serve as joint secretariat to the JKKSK.
The task force would operate under the purview of the Committee of Foreigners Management in Sabah. – September 5, 2024.
