SIBU, July 12 — The statelessness issues surrounding Liana Sari Santud and her family can be resolved, said Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah.
The minister for women, childhood and community wellbeing development said Liana has clear proof of citizenship from her grandmother’s side.
“All the documents are there and this really helps in her case. I was also informed by Liana’s mother Gading Ngerantar that the son of their longhouse chief can assist with the proof of their existence.
“When we see Liana’s family tree, we know the case can be resolved. Not just Liana but also the statelessness issues of her siblings and her mother,” she said after presenting Temporary Personal Documents for Individuals Without Citizenship in Sarawak (DSITKS) to six recipients here yesterday.
Liana, 20, from Rumah Sika Gawan in Pasai Siong here went viral on social media recently for sharing her plight about citizenship issues involving her and her family members.
She said besides her, her parents Santud Danong and Gading Gandut Ngerantar, and two of her three siblings are all stateless despite being born in Sarawak.
Fatimah explained that whenever such a case is brought to her attention, she won’t take it at face value and will conduct a background check.
“Besides that, like Agnes Tiong Hui Sing’s case, we will see how we can assist her mother. We will look at the case holistically and in Liana’s case, we brought a solution to Liana, her siblings and her mother,” she said.
At the event, Fatimah met Liana and her family members, as well as siblings Marin and Snorita Weng from Kapit who are also facing facing citizenship issues.
For the time being, Fatimah advised Liana to apply for MyKAS or temporary resident card since she has never applied for it before.
On the cases involving Marin and Snorita, she said they were brought to her attention by their teachers.
“Marin is a very good netball athlete. She has six siblings. It is not only Marin but her siblings are also facing citizenship issues.
“But Marin’s case is different from Liana. For cases like Marin where the documents are incomplete, we need to use different methods to resolve the issue.
“The Ministry of Home Affairs has come up with an effort to settle cases like this. Let’s wait. We hope for the best but in the meantime, I would recommend Marin and her siblings to apply for MyKAS,” she said.
Meanwhile, Fatimah advised prospective adoptive parents to follow the proper procedures in the adoption process to avoid statelessness.
She said the adoption process must be done at district offices.
“You cannot adopt someone else’s child just like that. The best way is for the birth mother to be present throughout the adoption procedure,” she added. — Borneo Post
