KUCHING: Minister of Welfare, Community Well Being, Women, Family and Childhood Development Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah hopes that the Special Committee on Citizenship Status will still be intact to help children applying for citizenship under Article 15A of the Federal Constitution.
This statement came about following Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s announcement of three senior ministers to helm the three core ministries of the new Pakatan Harapan (PH) cabinet line-up.
“I am also waiting for the announcement of the candidate for the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry,” she said in a text message received here yesterday.
Fatimah is leading the special taskforce which was set up by former deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi, who was also Home Minister, in August 2016, to address citizenship issue affecting the communities in Sarawak.
The taskforce has been working closely with the state National Registration Department (NRD) and the Education Department with a focus on helping ‘stateless’ school-going children get identification documents this year.
They are committed to work more aggressively to eliminate the citizenship problem before the expiry of the term of the taskforce some time this year.
Meanwhile, Lim Guan Eng has been appointed Finance Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin as Home Affairs Minister and Mohammad Sabu as Defence Minister.
Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail has been named as deputy prime minister even before the election.
Dr Mahathir made the announcement yesterday after a three-hour meeting of the PH presidential council comprising heads of the four parties in the PH coalition – Parti Kedilan Rakyat (PKR), Democratric Action Party (DAP), Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) and Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah).
Lim is DAP secretary-general, the most senior executive position in his party; Muhyiddin is president of PPBM of which Dr Mahathir is chairman; and Mohamad Sabu is president of Amanah.