KLANG, July 8 — A firm decision must be made to address the rising number of cases involving statelessness in the country, said Klang MP Charles Santiago.

Charles urged the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government to take the necessary action required to resolve statelessness as promised in their manifesto because the number of victims continues to swell.

He also said that Home Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin is aware of the issues revolving around cases of statelessness.

"In the PH manifesto, especially for Indians, one of the first points noted is to resolve the issue of statelessness; therefore, he (Muhyiddin) is aware, and even Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad addressed it when it (the manifesto) was launched,” he said at his office here where a Program Mendaftar Anak Malaysia initiative was being held.

"They are definitely aware, a political decision has to be made as there are generations of people who are unable to live a life of dignity because they don’t have rights as a citizen. As a result, young people’s dreams are dashed.”

Charles said that he planned to meet with Muhyiddin next month to discuss potential solutions for the nationwide problem.

"We have started the process of identifying problems and solutions. We are working with the Development of Human Resources for Rural Areas (DHRRA) who are experts in this area. I also have a team of lawyers who are looking into this,” he explained.

"Once this is done, I will try to meet Muhyiddin to discuss how to resolve this issue in the quickest possible time.” 

Mariappan Muthiah shows his permanent resident card stating his birth country is Malaysia during ‘Program Mendaftar Anak Malaysia’ program in Bandar Bukit Tinggi July 8, 2018. — Picture by Mukhriz Hazim

Charles said that among the points that needed to be raised with the home minister was the lackadaisical replies received by applicants seeking Malaysian citizenship.

"We will highlight certain provisions of the Constitution, and the fact that we are signatories of the Convention on the Rights of the Child,” said Charles.

"But we will also stress that the replies applicants receive are lacking in an explanation as to why it takes so long to process an application, and not properly listing reasons why an application was rejected.”

The registration initiative spearheaded by Charles and DHRRA has seen some 750 cases of statelessness recorded.

Mugheelan Sellathoray (left) keys in data for people who came to get their citizenship rights during ‘Program Mendaftar Anak Malaysia’ in Bandar Bukit Tinggi July 8, 2018. — Picture by Mukhriz Hazim

In the three weeks since the programme was held, statistics showed that statelessness largely came from the Chinese community, followed by Indians, then other ethnicities, and lastly, Malays.

Most cases involved individuals aged 18 and below.

Charles said 59 cases so far have been referred to the National Registration Department for prompt action to be taken.

"We will also be speaking to the state departments to ensure all cases are accounted for,” he said.