S’wak activist wants stakeholders included in special committee on citizenship

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Agnes Padan

MIRI (Jan 12): The special committee that has been set up by the Home Ministry to look into issues pertaining to citizenship must also engage non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and non-governmental individuals (NGIs) especially from Sarawak, opined social activist Agnes Padan.

Agnes, an activist who highlighted most of cases involving statelessness and health facilities in Lawas, said there are many unresolved citizenship issues that have been plaguing more than two generations there.

“I welcome his statement and we are happy that he (Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution) has taken note and is committed to resolving this issue.

“We would like this committee to engage NGOs and NGIs, activists throughout the country especially from Sarawak,” she said, when asked to comment on the setting-up of the special committee.

Agnes lamented that the issue of statelessness in Lawas especially, was also connected to other issues such as lack of infrastructure, communication as well as lack of education.

Because of the longstanding issue, these stateless individuals were deprived of certain rights which include access to education, health and job opportunities, Agnes pointed out.

She lamented that a few men who are now in their 70s and 80s who served the country as border scouts during the Indonesian confrontation between 1963 and 1965 were still waiting for the government to approve their citizenship application.

“I wish to refer to Lee Andrew Tuck, a footballer who was given citizenship under Article 19(1) of the Federal Constitution which is citizenship by naturalisation.

“This is really unfair to those Border Scouts who are not awarded with citizenship under the same Article of The Federal Constitution,” she lamented.

She also claimed to have at least 41 cases involving children in Lawas, of which many have been deprived of education because of their citizenship status.

“This is just the tip of the iceberg, there are many similar cases in rural areas that went unnoticed,” she said.

Agnes also called for a thorough investigation on all cases in Lawas where the identity cards (ICs) which had been awarded by the Home Ministry and National Registration Department (JPN) were taken back by NRD Lawas without adhering to due process under Article 27 of the Federal Constitution.

“I hope that the minister and his special committee would look into these matters seriously as well as resolving the issues surrounding citizenship immediately,” she said.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution on Sunday said that a special committee has been set up to look into citizenship issues from all aspects in a comprehensive manner.

He said the issues to be given focus include delayed cases, children born abroad and local women married to foreign men.