Resolve citizenship issue for stateless kids in Sabah: MP
Published on: Thursday, March 30, 2023
By: Winnie Kasmir
Suhaimi said one of the reasons why these children did not get treatment at government health facilities is because of the distance from their homes and high transportation costs.
SANDAKAN: Libaran MP Datuk Suhaimi Nasir urged the Home Affairs Ministry (KDN) to complete the citizenship application process for stateless children in Sabah.He also asked the Ministry to resolve the issue of Malaysians who are already residents of the country but their applications for citizenship status have not been approved.
ADVERTISEMENT
Suhaimi raised the issue of citizenship status because the matter also happened in several areas in his parliamentary area such as Kg Pulau Nunuyan, Kg Pulau Libaran and Kg Semawang, among many others.
“The main cause of this problem is that there are a number of mothers or fathers who marry non-citizens,” he said when debating the Supply Bill 2023 at the committee level in the Dewan Rakyat.
He explained that when these couples separated, their children only have birth certificates.
“What makes the situation even worse is that when these children become adults, they are not able to make an identification card because they have no records of treatment in government clinics,” he said.
ADVERTISEMENT
Suhaimi said one of the reasons why these children did not get treatment at government health facilities is because of the distance from their homes and high transportation costs.
“It’s even sad that when these identification cards cannot be made, it is difficult for these children to continue their studies at school. They have to pay expensive fees if they want to continue schooling,” he said.
ADVERTISEMENT
As such, Suhaimi welcomed the increase in the national registration allocation from RM363.9 million in 2022 to RM387.8 million in 2023.
Therefore, he said it was timely for the Ministry to immediately resolve the two longstanding issues.
In another development, Suhaimi also raised water supply issues at the Sandakan Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) apartment located at Mile 4, Sandakan.
“The information I got about this issue is that the piping system in this housing has rusted. If this water is used for drinking it is very bad for health,” he stressed, adding that he wanted the matter to be given due attention as it poses a health hazard to policemen there.
Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
Daily Express Malaysia
