KUCHING, March 18 — Sarawak Minister of Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah today urged the federal government to accord automatic Malaysian citizenship to abandoned children under the proposed amendments to the Federal Constitution.
She said in most cases, it is difficult to find out who their biological parents are as these children were found abandoned by members of the public due to the absence of information.
“When these children are later adopted, their adopted parents have great difficulties registering them as Malaysian citizens,” she told reporters when met an event.
She said the Sarawak Special Committee for Citizenship established under Article 15A of the Federal Constitution, which she co-chaired with Home Minister, had discussed the matters with the state government asking that stateless children who are under the care of the Welfare Department and welfare bodies to be given the Malaysian citizenship certificates.
“We beg that special consideration be given to these stateless children, including those under 21 who have yet to be issued with the citizenship certificate.
“Since they were born in that situation and placed in the welfare institutions, we want them to be given special consideration by the federal government,” she said.
She said the couples, who may be childless, are sincere and want to take care of these children as their own.
She said without citizenship these stateless and abandoned children will be denied access to education which is a basic human right.
“As a former teacher, I know how difficult it is when these children try to enter schools and if they are allowed, their parents will have to pay fees meant for foreigners,” she said.
She said when these children get married in the future, their offspring will also become stateless.
Previously, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail announced that the Cabinet had given the green light for the proposal over the Federal Constitution amendment involving citizenship to be tabled in Dewan Rakyat.
Saifuddin said the ministry would also submit a request to the Dewan Rakyat’s secretary for the amendment to be included in the House proceedings, this year.
The amendment amends subsection (b) of article 14 to include the term “mother” to facilitate the legal acquisition of the child’s citizenship.
