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By Ashley Sim
KUCHING, July 24: Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail has announced the formation of a Special Task Force (PPK) comprising the State and Federal governments to expedite the resolution of stateless matters in Sarawak, particularly in rural areas.
Saifuddin stated this during his speech before presenting citizenship approval letters to 62 previously stateless individuals at Wisma Bapa Malaysia in Petra Jaya today.
“Today’s meeting with Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg is a kick-off for the formation of PPK, which will be chaired by me and the Premier.
“To expedite the process of assisting stateless individuals in obtaining their identity documents, the State government will offer logistical support for any necessary visits to remote areas.
“Rather than waiting for stateless individuals, especially those living in remote areas, to visit the National Registration Department (JPN), we will send a special task force to them as part of an outreach programme; this is the establishment of PPK,” he said.
He stated that the Home Ministry has already processed 946 applications and that these applications were submitted to his ministry by Women, Childhood, and Community Wellbeing Development (KPWK) Minister Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah.
Furthermore, Saifuddin pointed out that there were other applications that did not go through the State’s ministry.
“My ministry will not be limited to this number, as there are many more out there.
“I would like to remind the officers in my ministry to continue practising an open approach. This includes utilising official channels provided by the State government and considering direct applications from individuals or non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
“We are prepared to accept it to address the issues faced by the people,” he added.
Later, during a press conference, the Home Minister stated that the Premier’s Department had identified 3,756 cases of residents without any identification documents.
According to him, the total number of residents with a birth certificate but no citizenship status has reached 9,314 people.
“The Sarawak government has a database that allows us to identify and locate the target group easily,” he said, adding that most are in rural areas such as Long Singut and Kapit.
He also explained that PPK is divided into two main committees, namely ‘Jawatankuasa Induk’ will be jointly chaired by himself and the Premier, while the ‘Jawatankuasa Teknikal’ will be jointly chaired by the director-general of JPN and the secretary of the Sarawak government.
“With the formation of PPK, we hope that it will be able to address issues about residents without identification cards as well as citizenship issues,” he said, adding that such a task force had previously been formed between 2016 and 2019.
Regarding the approval letters for the 62 previously stateless individuals, Fatimah mentioned that the state JPN officers will provide a briefing to the recipients regarding their next steps.
“They will be instructed on what steps to take next in order to obtain their birth certificate and MyKad.
“Also, I must remind those who are no longer stateless of their responsibility as citizens. I hope you will appreciate this approval, which is the highest honour a stateless person can receive,” she remarked.
Meanwhile, Sarawak Democratic Action Party (DAP) chairman Chong Chieng Jen expressed delight in saying that the 62 stateless individuals had received their citizenship approval letters today.
“Words can’t describe the joy of those who have received their citizenship certificates this morning.
“Few amongst them have applied for many years, and we have helped repeatedly before they finally obtained the citizenship certificate this morning.
“We are grateful that Datuk Seri Saifuddin is passionate about the plight of these stateless children and takes personal attention to the process of their applications,” he said in a statement.
Chong continued, “Under the Madani Government under Datuk Seri Anwar (Prime Minister Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim), there is surely a difference in the Ministry of Home Affairs’ treatments on the applications for citizenship, where deserving cases will get to be expedited and approved, unlike the previous governments where many deserving cases were held up and remained unresolved for years.
“We are confident that under this progressive Madani Government, the plight of many of the stateless children in Sarawak will be resolved as soon as possible.”
Also present at the event were Sarawak State Secretary Datuk Amar Mohamad Abu Bakar Marzuki, Chong, and Pending assemblywoman Violet Yong. — DayakDaily
