KUCHING, July 31: Woman, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Minister Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah hoped that Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin would expedite the approval of cases involving stateless children in Sarawak.
Fatimah said the approval takes too long, depriving education, health, and welfare opportunities and affecting the general well-being of stateless children.
“I wish the Home Minister would open his heart to the cases that have been deliberated and supported by our (Sarawak) Special Committee for Citizenship under 15A, which has been brought to his attention for final approval,” she said in a statement today.
According to Fatimah, all this while, they (stateless children) are deprived of their basic rights to education and employment and are faced with a bleak future in their birthplace.
She said the Education Ministry also insisted on these children applying for a student pass from the Immigration Department, including making a passport before they can be allowed to study in a government school (as they cannot afford to go to private school).
“They have to go through the hassle to fulfil the requirement from the National Registration Department (JPN), Immigration and Education Department, and the finance incurred.
“Yet at the end of the day, they are only told that their application is ‘being processed’ from Home Ministry,” she added. — DayakDaily
