Baru Bian said it has been over a year since the amendment bill was passed under the state Interpretation Ordinance 2022 and the delay in gazetting it has caused inconvenience and anxiety to many natives who are of mixed parentage. – Photo by Chimon Upon
KUCHING (May 18): Baru Bian (PSB-Ba Kelalan) is concerned with the delay in the Sarawak government’s approach in defining native status and when the ordinance is to be gazetted.
Baru said it has been over a year since the amendment bill was passed under the state Interpretation Ordinance 2022 and the delay in gazetting it has caused inconvenience and anxiety to many natives who are of mixed parentage.
“There are still instances of children of mixed marriages between natives and non-natives encountering various problems in matters of land transfers, inheritance and entry into educational institutions,” he said when debating the motion of thanks for the Yang di-Pertua Negeri’s address on the fourth day of the Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting today.
According to Baru, in July last year, the Deputy Minister in the Chief Minister’s Office (Law, MA63 and State-Federal Relations) Datuk Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali stated that the government was in the midst of drafting the conditions and requirements to be imposed before the Interpretation (Amendment) Ordinance 2022 which confers the native status to children of mixed races.
Furthermore, Baru said at last year’s November DUN session, in reply to his query on the same matter, Minister in the Premier’s Office Datuk John Sikie explained that the government was still refining the definition of what it means to be a native in Sarawak.
In a previous report by Malay Mail, Sikie said the definition, which is to be made part of the amendments under the state Interpretation Ordinance will be presented to the state legislature once finalised.
“Such conditions, requirements and procedures are expected to be tabled to the State Cabinet soonest,” said Sikie, replying to the Ba Kelalan state assemblyman during last year’s November DUN session.