KUCHING, April 7: The Sarawak Social Welfare Department will help the family of food delivery rider Yuhanis Abdullah who was killed in a road accident recently to obtain legal documents and apply for citizenship.
On March 29, the late Yuhanis who had been working to support his family and medical expenses for his ailing mother died in a tragic accident at Jalan Sultan Tengah here.
Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Minister Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah said based on their early investigation, the 20-year-old Yuhanis, his sister Siti Mariam Abdullah, 17, and mother Nurjanah Abdullah were not Malaysian citizens.
“Although Nurjanah was married to a Malaysian citizen Abdul Aziz Amin @ Tajak Gendang, they did not have any legal marriage document. Hence, their children too suffered the same fate. According to Nurjanah, his husband died in 2008. In October 2020, she remarried another Malaysian, Muslimon Sulaiman, and they had legal documents.
“We have to find a way to help them. There must be a proper connection, or some legal link and with her current marriage to Muslimon, we can arrange and help Nurjanah and Siti Mariam to apply for citizenship.
“Since Nurjanah and Muslimon’s marriage is legal and in orderly, it means the latter is Siti Mariam’s stepfather. First, we have to get a court custody order for him to be her legal guardian. Once that is done, this will enable him to apply for Siti Mariam’s citizenship and this was our advice to them,” Fatimah said after visiting the family at Semariang Pinggir here today.
As Siti Mariam is only 17, her citizenship application will be done under Section 15A of the Federal Constitution, while Nurjanah’s application as a wife to a Malaysian citizen is under Section 15(1).
Fatimah asserted the importance for Siti Mariam to get her citizenship because she had expressed her intention to further studies after her recent Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination.
In the event Siti Mariam changed her mind about furthering studies and chose to work, Fatimah was concerned that job opportunities will be very limited for those without proper identification.
On welfare issues, Fatimah also noted that the family cannot receive any assistance if they are not citizens.
“Since Nurjanah is legally married to her new husband who has also applied for her passport from country of origin, the next step is for them to apply for her entry permit, followed by a red identification card and then she can apply for citizenship.
“On the overall process, to be legal guardian will not take a long time. However, it will not be the same for citizenship applications, because it has to go through the Ministry of Home Affairs. We hope it can be done and we believe issues like legal guardians should happen within this year,” Fatimah added.
Meanwhile, she also urged Muslimon to apply for house repair aid from the Sarawak government through the state assemblyman from the area.
She said the ADUN has a special allocation for house repair for the poor as long as the recipients are citizens.— DayakDaily
