KUCHING: The state National Registration Department (NRD) has set up a special taskforce to overcome the issues surrounding ‘stateless’ natives of Sarawak who are without identity document.
When contacted yesterday, state NRD director Jasni Jubli said statutory declarations by community leaders like village headmen and Penghulus had always been one of the criteria for NRD to take into consideration when approving genuine applications for MyKad.
However applications from ‘stateless or statusless’ persons would only be considered if they could provide copies of their parents’ MyKad and wedding certificates and grandparents’ death certificates as supporting documents, he said.
He was reacting to the grouses expressed by Parti Bangsa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) Baru that many cases were still pending and the call by Balai Ringin assemblyman Snowdan Lawan for NRD to consider the statutory declarations made by local elected representatives and Penghulus as basis for approving MyKad applications of ‘stateless’ people of Sarawak.
Very recently, Snowdan lamented that his state constituency was not spared from the issue. He pointed out that it would be difficult for these applicants to provide their family tree when the very people who could verify them were dead.
Yesterday, PBDS Baru took NRD to task in expediting the applications from ‘stateless’ persons in Sarawak as MyKad application is still an issue for some rural Dayak folks.
The party also believed the matter has been taken for granted for too long. Its information chief Bobby William lamented that not everyone in Sarawak has the privilege to be born in general hospital to easily obtain a birth certificate and be guaranteed an identification card as a citizen by 12 years old.
“Then how about those adults who were born in the village and do not have the sufficient funds to enjoy the same privilege as urban and city folks? Is there a better way for them to gain their official citizenship?” Bobby asked.
“There are still issues of Sarawakians especially from rural areas who still have no MyKad till today,” he said.
“The sad fact about it is that in a family, even though there are siblings who have MyKad do not be surprised that one or two of them have no MyKad at all,” he added.
He also said it is common knowledge that many have tried various ways to get MyKad but the problem still prevailed.
“NRD should find means to solve this matter soon because there are so many unregistered voters throughout Sarawak, part of the reason being that the majority are actually rural people without MyKad,” Bobby stressed.
“Our question is, why is the matter still unresolved till now? What is there more to provide when all the evidence are already submitted? We are talking about those who are applying for their MyKad with substantial supporting proof of documentations such as siblings or parents with MyKad,” he elaborated.