LAWAS, March 17 — The low number of approved citizenship applications for children under 18 from Sabah and Sarawak in the last five years is appalling, said Selangau MP Baru Bian.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin had revealed in Parliament on Monday that only 198 of 9,259 citizenship applications for children under 18 from East Malaysia were approved from 2017 until February 15 this year.
“This is only 2.13 per cent of the total number of applications received. Over a period of five years, the Home Ministry has been able to approve only 40 applications per year, meaning that out of every 100 applications, only two received positive news. This is dismal and outrageous,” he said in a statement today.
Baru questioned the low approvals, which deprive the children of a normal life where they can receive healthcare, education, and future employment.
He also voiced his disappointment that the Home Minister did not answer his question with regard to the citizenship applications of former Border Scouts here, who are now very old and frail.
“There is no excuse of justification for this long and torturous wait that is being inflicted on these men who had served to protect their country. It is puzzling that the government cannot do this one simple thing for these men who are at the sunset of their lives,” he said, opining this makes a mockery of the Keluarga Malaysia concept trumpeted by the current government.
According to him, it is thus not surprising many Sarawakians want to take back the autonomy to determine citizenship status for their own people, in addition to education and healthcare.
“The people at the federal ministries seem to be so remote from the realities on the ground for us, especially those who live in the rural areas,” Baru said.
On education, he said in response to his question on stateless children being denied schooling the Education Minister replied it was because of an executive directive.
Baru stressed there is no reason why the directive cannot be changed to allow stateless children to go to school.
“What was the reason for the directive in the first place? It does not make any sense at all.
“The government, by its actions and inaction in these cases, is depriving our people of their fundamental rights to citizenship, education, and healthcare, which are guaranteed under the Federal Constitution,” he said.
Baru also called for similar humanitarian concern for the stateless children here and individuals, including the former Border Scouts, as shown by the Home Minister for foreigners in Sabah.
“Is it too much to ask that the ministers concerned show some compassion for so many of our people who are in limbo?” he asked.
Hamzah had disclosed the figure of citizenship approvals in response to a question from Kota Samarahan MP Datuk Rubiah Wang. — Borneo Post
