PETALING JAYA: The Sabah state government will set up a special committee and a task force to address issues related to residents without identity documents.
Sabah chief minister Hajiji Noor said the state Cabinet had approved the formation of the special committee, which will review and expedite citizenship applications under Article 15A of the Federal Constitution, focusing on new and pending cases.
He said the committee would be entrusted with recommending registering children and individuals below the age of 21 as citizens under Article 18.
“The decision to set up this special committee is due to rampant cases of children born in Sabah without documentation or identity cards, leading them to encounter problems such as going to school. Oftentimes, these are due to the negligence of their parents," he said in a statement today.
He added that all applications would be assessed by the Sabah panel of the special committee.
On the task force, Hajiji said it will operate under the committee for management of foreigners in Sabah (JKPWAS) and is aimed at addressing issues of undocumented individuals.
The special committee will be co-chaired by home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail and Hajiji, with the national registration department and its Sabah counterpart serving as the joint secretariat.
The task force will be chaired by the home ministry’s secretary-general and state secretary.
The issue of undocumented individuals in Sabah is significant and complex, with estimates indicating there are between 400,000 and 500,000 such people.
Undocumented individuals are often denied access to basic services such as education, healthcare and jobs.
