Committee to request for citizenship of children

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Fatimah (centre) speaking during the press conference. Also with her are Harden (left) and Rosey.

KUCHING: The Citizenship Status Special Committee will be paying a courtesy call on Home Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin in Putrajaya next month to request for the citizenship status of children ages 21 years and below be given special consideration.

Welfare, Community Well Being, Women, Family and Childhood Development Minister Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah said this is to enable the applicants to be able to attend school while at the same time benefit from education facilities such as textbook loans, low tuition fees and other government grants such as welfare assistance and medical facilities at hospitals, government clinics and others.

“We are thankful that our Home Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has granted us a courtesy call on February 22 to discuss on our request for the decision regarding applications for citizenship in Sarawak under Article 15A of the Federal Constitution be given special consideration,” she told a press conference after chairing the special committee’s monthly meeting at her office at Baitulmakmur Building here today.

According to her, a total of 631 applications for citizenship in Sarawak have been received since November 2016 until today.

“For this year, the special committee has received 72 applications from January 1 to 28 which are being reviewed.”

Fatimah pointed out that the Ministry of Education has introduced a policy this year in which no children should be denied education.

“This is a good initiative but for stateless children, they have to prove that their application is being processed within two years which we feel will affect them in regards to their education.

“Though stateless children will be able to attend school, they will not be eligible for education benefits such as the Textbook Loan Scheme, Supplementary Food Programme and their parents have to pay for schools fees of RM120 for primary school children and RM240 for secondary school children, which can be a burden especially if the parents are from low-income group,” she explained.

Also present were Assistant Minister of Community Well Being Datuk Francis Harden Hollis and Assistant Minister of Women, Family and Childhood Development Rosey Yunus.