Form special task force to oversee issue of stateless children: activist

KUALA LUMPUR – An activist has advised the Home Ministry to establish a special taskforce to examine the issue of stateless children in the country and find a comprehensive solution.

Humanitarian activist Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said the issue needs to be examined in its humanitarian aspect so that decisions made do not affect the future of the group.

“I think this issue can be overcome by the government looking into the problem on a case-by-case basis.

“The families of the children or teenagers in question need to be called and interviewed so that responsible parties can identify the problems they face and solve them.

“If they have a foundation related to the problem, humanitarian considerations have to be made to save the future of the group,” he told Getaran, the Malay-language sister portal of The Vibes.

Lee, who is also the Selamat Community Association chairman, said that the government needs to take the long-standing issue seriously so that the future of these children are secured and they receive equal treatment as the others.

“I agree with the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) that the government needs to find a solution to overcome the increasing amount of issues involving children in this country.

“The government has to prioritise cases involving the loss of documents such as birth certificates and parents’ marriage certificates, which have seen children unable to be registered as citizens,” said Lee. 

According to Lee, an estimated 12,000 children in Peninsular Malaysia still do not have citizenship and have their rights denied, with their numbers believed to be larger in Sabah and Sarawak.

He added that such cases have great implications for the future of the children involved, especially the right to healthcare and education.

“The government should be concerned that many teenagers and children do not have citizenship, as they will face problems in receiving education. 

“The right to get facilities is also hindered due to not having identity cards.

“This results in their futures being affected. I hope that the government can consider prioritising and overcoming this issue to prevent it from getting worse,” he said.

Meanwhile, political analyst Datuk Mohammad Agus Yusoff said he hopes the government’s move to amend the federal constitution for this matter will be a starting point to overcome the issue of stateless children.

He added that even if the cabinet approves the proposed amendment, it needs to have the support of a two-thirds majority of members of the Dewan Rakyat.

“I was happy when the cabinet agreed to amend the constitution to replace the word ‘father’ in the Second Schedule of the federal constitution with the word ‘at least one of his parents’ to give the mother of a Malaysian citizen the right to determine the nationality of her child.

“Hopefully MPs support this amendment and further solve the problem of stateless children. Step by step,” said Agus.

Agus, who is also the Community Communications Department director-general in the Prime Minister’s Department, said that he is happy these groups will have the opportunity to enjoy government facilities such as health and schooling.

“I am also happy that this amendment fulfils the rights of children, eliminates discrimination against women, and overcomes the weakness of the previous provision on citizenship.

“It also solves the backlog of cases for women who have waited too long to get their children’s citizenship approved. Finally, a ‘human’ government has emerged that humanises people, and elevates humanity,” he said.

Previously, Suhakam urged the government to pay serious attention to the fate of all stateless children, which includes adopted children in Malaysia, newborn children, Orang Asli, Orang Asal in Sabah and Sarawak, illegitimate children or those born from unregistered marriages, people without documents, and others.

Its chairman Datuk Rahmat Mohamad said throughout the past year, his party received 138 complaints involving the issue of statelessness.

“Suhakam greatly appreciates the government’s commitment to guaranteeing human rights and social justice in Malaysia.

“Therefore, Suhakam hopes that the government will be ready to help and cooperate to ensure that this new decision is implemented quickly and effectively,” he said. – The Vibes, February 21, 2023