Call for committee to resolve stateless kids issue

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ELOPURA assemblyman Datuk Au Kam Wah has urged the State Government to set up a committee to look into the plight of stateless children in Sabah.

Speaking at the August House yesterday, Au said that the issue of stateless children was not confined to Elopura alone but throughout Sabah.

He said that the issue was prevalent because many locals married foreigners without acquiring marriage certificates.

“As a result, these children go through life being stateless and feeling hopeless. They are constantly living in fear. Even after completing their Form Five, they cannot get their SPM examination result because they have no identification card,” he said.

Au said that the issue cannot be resolved, even though it has been ongoing for a long time because the approval for citizenship comes from Putrajaya.

“It is time for a committee to be set up to resolve the matter. Thousands of children are facing this problem in Sabah,” he said.