By William Isau
SIBU, April 10: The move by the Office of the Premier of Sarawak to issue temporary documentation to eligible stateless children applying for citizenship to enable them to access education and health facilities was lauded by the Independent Council of Natives (ICON) and Dayak Rights Action Force (DRAF).
In a statement today, Bill Jugah, who is the founder of ICON, co-founder of DRAF, and chairman of Sarawak Dayak Iban Association (Sadia) Rajang branch, said he has been a strong proponent of the statelessness issue in the State and has continuously applied pressure on federal government agencies.
Therefore, he applauded the Sarawak government for taking the initiative to issue temporary documentation to eligible stateless children.
He said that he had set up a portal (https://bit.ly/BillJugah) for the convenience of applicants so that they would not need to incur expenses for transport, food, and accommodation to meet Bill, who is based in Sibu.
“Parents can also download a letter already prepared for submission to the school and Education Ministry for their children if parents face school admission problems due to current policies,” he said.
Bill has also engaged ICON representatives in Miri, Corina (Women Unit Chief) and Ismail Lumut (Education Unit Chief) to assist in the collection of data on stateless children.
Previously, Bill has stressed the advantages to be gained by the government if the issue is addressed and resolved.
“The government is not only honouring their rights to exist, but also would be able to utilise the already-available workforce as future doctors, nurses, skilled labour, engineers, and teachers,” Bill emphasised.
He stressed that even the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) would be able to replenish its coffers after i-Citra, i-Sinar, i-Lestari and now the RM10,000 withdrawal once this matter is rectified.
“Even the banking industry stands to gain when all these stateless people are allowed to open up accounts. Then, finally, the government can initiate proper development plans after including these people in its planning,” he added.
On Saturday, Minister of Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah said the State government would issue temporary documentation to eligible stateless children to access education and health facilities. — DayakDaily
