Quickly grant newly-registered M’sian citizens in Sarawak with K-indicator on MyKads, Chang tells state govt

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Chang (right) with the man (third left) who was recently granted the Malaysian citizenship.

SIBU (May 23): The Sarawak government has been asked to urgently resolve the issue of newly-registered Malaysian citizens in the state being denied the K-indicator on their MyKads, which denotes them as Sarawakians.

In making the call, former Bukit Assek assemblywoman Irene Chang said it was extremely discriminatory just because of the lack of one indicator in their identity cards that these newly-registered Malaysian citizens could not find employment and live a fulfilling life in the only state which they have known since they were born.

She added that this was akin to the state government rejecting the decision of the Home Ministry to grant citizenship to these children who were born and bred in the state.

“The state government should therefore match the Home Ministry’s efforts to grant these applicants a home in Malaysia by granting them a home in the state of Sarawak as well, by granting them their Sarawakian status through the K-indicator,” she said in a statement.

Chang said she received a phone call recently from one of her clients, whom she had helped to acquire the Malaysian citizenship, expressing his dilemma for not being granted the K-indicator in his MyKad.

“This young man is a brilliant and smart individual who was abandoned by his biological mother at birth and subsequently adopted by a Sarawakian couple. As his biological mother’s identity is unknown, he was registered as a stateless person by the Malaysian Government.

“After a long and complicated legal process, my team and I successfully helped him to be registered as a Malaysian citizen and he collected his Citizenship Certificate and MyKad on Feb 27, 2023.

“When I asked him what his plan for his future was, he told me that in spite of his former stateless status, he was thankful that he had managed to continue with his education, mainly due to many helping hands to make sure that he stayed in school.

“When he collected his citizenship certificate at Sibu JPN (National Registration Department), he had just stopped schooling and just in time to look for employment.”

Chang said the man also told her that he wanted to return his adoptive parents’ kind gesture in raising him despite not living a luxurious life, as they are of an older generation and not able to be gainfully employed.

“However, I was dismayed to find that this young man was not given a K-indicator on his Malaysian Identity Card. The K-indicator is given to Sarawakians, meaning that the Sarawak state government recognises you as a Sarawakian. Sarawakians can live and work in the state without requiring a pass, permit or visa.

“This young man has already received an offer from a prestigious company. However, the company stated that, as he does not have the K-indicator on his IC, he must first obtain a work permit to allow him to work.”

Chang said the man then went to the relevant departments to try to apply for the permit.

“However, due to the convoluted process that he had to go through, he is now being pressured to go to Peninsular Malaysia to look for employment instead.”

Chang said the man was born in Sarawak, lived in Sarawak his whole life and is the only son of his adoptive parents and wants to take care of them.

“My question is why the Sarawak state government is still not taking any action to ensure that our stateless and abandoned children who are born and adopted in Sarawak are recognised as Sarawakians?

“The answer that was given to me all this while was: the biological parents of such children are unknown, and, despite being legally adopted by Sarawakians, these children cannot be conferred a Sarawakian-status and a K-indicator in their identity cards.”

Chang said he had written to the State Secretary raising this issue in September 2021 but have yet to receive any reply from the State Secretary’s department to date.

“I have also not received any updates as to whether the State Government is making any efforts in eradicating this problem before it spreads rampant among our previously-stateless children.”

Since the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly is now sitting, Chang insisted that the minister concerned reveals to the people through the August House, what is the state government’s concern in withholding the K-indicator to these successful citizenship applicants to recognise them as truly born and bred Sarawakians?

“Since raising this issue a few months back, I have already received several worried applicants from all over Sarawak asking about the lack of their K-indicator in their identity cards.

“Hopefully, the state will resolve this issue soonest and give our newly-registered Malaysian citizens the opportunity to contribute to our state’s workforce and economy.”