Stateless S’wakian with large tumour seeks home minister’s aid for citizenship

KUCHING – A stateless senior citizen from Lawas is seeking the assistance of Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail to help him gain Malaysian citizenship.

The 76-year-old Lun Bawang man is Purait Arun, whose case was highlighted by health activist Agnes Padan. 

Padan said the senior citizen also suffers from a massive tumour on his left arm and needs urgent treatment.  

Speaking to The Vibes, Padan said Purait developed the tumour in the last 10 years and, without medical attention, it has grown to the size of a melon. 

She said Purait’s movement within the state is restricted due to his stateless situation. 

“On August 22, 2022, on behalf of Purait, I wrote a letter to the Immigration director in Kuching seeking permission for Purait to be allowed to travel to Miri Hospital, but the matter was referred to the National Registration Department (NRD) in Lawas which rejected the application. This, after producing a referral letter from the Lawas district hospital.” 

Padan said she has been helping Purait since 2020 by collecting all his relevant documents to apply for citizenship and submitted them to the NRD in Lawas, but the application was rejected. 

“The director of the NRD also rejected an application for renewal of his MyKas green card. I was told to write to the Indonesian consulate in Kuching, which I did. The consulate wrote back confirming that Purait was never in possession of an Indonesian passport. 

“Despite producing the letter from the Indonesian consulate, Purait was again denied permission to leave Lawas for medical treatment by the NRD. 

According to her, Purait was born in the highlands of Ba’kelalan in 1948. He and his siblings lived in Pa’Tawing in Ba’Kelalan even before Malaysia was formed. 

Purait married Dari Lakai in a church in Long Semadoh on October 28, 1968. He then moved with his family to Kg Batu Mulong in Lawas a few decades ago. Purait’s wife and 10 children are Malaysian citizens. 

“All Purait has now is an expired MyKas green card which was issued to him on March 29, 1971,” Padan said.   

Padan explained that in the early 1900s, the Lun Bawang ethnic group who lived in the highlands moved around from Ba’kelalan, Long Pasia, and Long Bawan. 

She said there were no clear borders and boundaries then.

“Even prominent Sarawak politicians today would not deny that their parents and ancestors were from Long Bawan (in) Kalimantan or have roots in Krayan (in) Kalimantan in Indonesia.

“In the 1940s it was very difficult for the people living in the ulu (interior) areas to come to the nearby town of Lawas to register births because there was no transport nor proper roads.  They had to walk for weeks over jungle terrain and spend the nights in the forest along the way. 

“Today, we see many elderly people from the ulu who still hold green identity cards, and there is no doubt that many others do not have Malaysian citizenship because they cannot prove their birth in Sarawak.

“This is because they do not have birth certificates as their births were not registered by their parents due to the difficulty of travelling to Lawas district then. 

She said: “Surviving World War II during the Japanese Invasion in 1939 to 1945 and the confrontation against Indonesia from 1963 to 1965, the Lun Bawang community in Ba’Kelalan has experienced more difficult times than one could ever imagine.”

According to her, the case of Purait’s statelessness is only the tip of the iceberg. She cited another case where five siblings born in the state and all of whom had birth certificates were termed as “bukan warganegara” (non-citizens). 

“Their renewal for MyKas cards has also been declined by the NRD. Why are the authorities so hard on them? I am making this special appeal to the home minister to help ease the burden of Purait’s stateless position and others too who are in a similar situation,” added Padan. – The Vibes, February 3, 2023