TAWAU – A Warisan assemblyman has called for Sabah’s Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) government to emulate Sarawak in issuing temporary documents for stateless persons under 21.
Sri Tanjong assemblyman Justin Wong said the Sabah government should proactively act to solve the issue of stateless people, like what Sarawak is doing.
“Stop being quiet about this issue. This problem has been in Sabah for decades. The Sabah government must face the problem with courage. Sarawak has shown us an excellent example,” he said in a statement today.
His statement refers to the Sarawak government’s issuance of temporary documents to stateless people born in the state and aged below 21, which would grant them access to healthcare and education in Sarawak.
Wong said that similar to how the Sarawak government has worked together with the Home Ministry, the Sabah government should appoint the state secretary to be part of a special committee working with the federal Home Ministry to solve the stateless issue in Sabah.
“According to Article 15A of the federal constitution, the authority to grant citizenship is under the federal government; however, Sarawak has decided to issue temporary documents for stateless children under its scope of authority.
“If Sarawak can do it, why can’t Sabah? Does the Sabah government have a plan on this?” he questioned.
Wong also said Sabah must first ensure separate data and statistics for stateless persons in Sabah, separated from the national’s non-citizen category.
This means that only stateless children should be entitled to the temporary documents, which do not grant citizenship, and only allow them access to healthcare and education.
“Healthcare and education access are basic human rights. Nobody, including children, should have their basic rights taken away from them,” he said.
Wong shared that he had personally tried to help a stateless child in Tawau who had completed primary school to be registered for secondary school, last week.
However, no school accepted the child, due to orders from the Education Ministry.
To date, non-Malaysians can only receive formal education up until primary school.
“There are even children whose parents had registered their marriages late but failed to get birth certificates for their children. These children are innocent, and their future is affected because of their parents’ negligence,” he said, adding that the National Registration Department has not been constructive in solving such cases.
Wong said denying stateless children access to education would cause a rise in social problems as more people will be unable to get jobs, leading to criminal cases that jeopardise public order such as theft, illegal squatter settlement, and child beggars, among others.
“It is a vicious cycle in the community,” he said.
Meanwhile, Wong urged the federal government to eliminate past government practices and stop delaying citizenship applications.
According to the Home Ministry’s records, the ministry has received 53,483 applications for citizenship, of which 21,054 are still being processed.
“There are children who have waited for over ten years, now grown up, who still have not received their citizenship.
“The current government must act fast to solve this issue; ease and speed up the process of citizenship applications,” he added. – The Vibes, March 27, 2023
