Shepherd (seated left) and Peter (seated third from left) in a photo-call with the applicants and their parents.
Shepherd (right) with Kuin, Mintin and their two daughters — Isabela (centre) and Ica.
KUCHING: Sarawak 4 Sarawakians (S4S) and Sarawak Dayak Iban Association (Sadia) will continue to assist 18 stateless Sarawakians—ranging from infants to sexagenarians—become Malaysians.
Their applications for birth certificates have been rejected at the administrative level in Putrajaya numerous times, said Sadia Human Rights advocate Karen Shepherd here yesterday.
She said the main reason why the applications were rejected was because each one of them has a foreigner for a parent.
“Marrying a foreigner is the main issue. Without birth certificates, their children are affected as they cannot go to school or get welfare aid,” Shepherd said after meeting state National Registration Department (NRD) officials at NRD office here yesterday.
“We don’t want these innocent children to be left behind in terms of education. They have the right to education, like all Malaysians.”
Shepherd said the state NRD had forwarded multiple applications to Putrajaya, but every single one of them was declined without explanations.
She said that based on the discussion with the state NRD officials, in which S4S activist Peter John Jaban and 18 villagers from Serian and Kapit were also present, Sadia would bring the matter to the state government for further action.
Shepherd said she also planned to meet Minister of Welfare, Women and Community Wellbeing Datuk Fatimah Abdullah on this matter today.
“We hope our chief minister will look into the plight of this group of people, ranging from infants to 60 years old.”
Couple Kuin Mani, 70, and his Indonesian wife Mintin Tinggal, 31, are among those facing this stateless headache.
Their children — Isabela Kuin, 13, and Ica Kuin, 11 — have stopped going to school as they do not have birth certificates. Isabella stopped schooling at Primary 5, while Ica at Primary 3.
Kuin even took a DNA test to confirm paternity, but it was fruitless despite paying RM400 for the test.