By Dayangku Hidayatul
KUCHING, Oct 14: A total of 224 children born in Sarawak were registered as non-citizens from January to August this year, but those with at least one Malaysian citizen biological parent may still qualify for places in government or government-aided schools, subject to Education Ministry requirements.
Sarawak Minister of Women, Early Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development said citizenship status and access to education were two separate matters, as children who had not acquired Malaysian citizenship could still attend school if they met the prescribed conditions.
“For school admission purposes, the details of the parent who is a Malaysian citizen must be stated on the child’s birth certificate,” she said during the question-and-answer session at the Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUS) sitting today.
Fatimah said birth registration in Sarawak was handled by the National Registration Department (JPN) under the Sarawak Births and Deaths Registration Ordinance (Chapter 10).
Every birth in Sarawak must be registered regardless of the parents’ citizenship status. However, birth in Malaysia does not automatically confer Malaysian citizenship.
A child’s citizenship status is determined by the citizenship of the parents at the time of birth and whether their marriage is legally valid and registered under Malaysian law.
She explained that if a child’s mother is a non-citizen and the father is a Malaysian citizen, but their marriage has not been legally registered at the time of birth, the child’s citizenship status would follow the mother, leaving the child as a non-citizen.
Based on JPN records, Fatimah explained three main factors behind children being registered as non-citizens or issued pink birth certificates: marriages that are not registered or recognised under Malaysian law, mothers without valid identification documents, and children who are found or abandoned.
To address these issues, she said the authorities were conducting community dialogue sessions and awareness campaigns to encourage legal marriage registration.
Efforts were also being made to assist mothers born in Sarawak who lacked identification documents to obtain them through the prescribed procedures, she added.
She also encouraged non-citizen mothers to obtain and update valid travel documents and ensure their children’s birth documentation was properly managed.
For children who are found or abandoned, registration procedures are to be coordinated with the relevant authorities, including JPN, to ensure their status and documentation are determined in accordance with the law. — DayakDaily
