KUCHING, Jan 9 — Minister of Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah will hold a meeting with Home Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail this week to discuss the issue of children in Sarawak who are without citizenship status or identification documents.

In this matter, she said this problem must be dealt with immediately because it had deprived the children of the rights to obtain education, healthcare and also work upon entering adulthood.

"God-willing, next week we will meet with the Minister of Home Affairs in Kuala Lumpur to discuss the issue, which is very important and should be addressed immediately, in that children who do not have citizenship status or valid identification documents cannot go to school and enjoy other facilities like others of their age,” she said in a speech for the ‘Community Well-Being Solidarity Night’ here on Saturday.

She said addressing the issue of those without identification documents was among the 14 social issues that her ministry and the agencies under it were focusing on.

Previously, Fatimah was reported as saying that the application to re-establish the Special Committee on Citizenship under Article 15A of the Federal Constitution would be re-examined.

Established in 2016, the committee meant to deal with citizenship issues provided for under Article 15A of the Federal Constitution.

However, it did not function in 2019 following the change of government at the time.

It is informed that since 2016, the Special Committee on Citizenship under Article 15A of the Federal Constitution had received 723 applications for citizenship status.

In this regard, Fatimah said although the special committee was established to deal with the problem of children without citizenship status, its only role was facilitating process of applying for the citizenship status, and not approving it.

"This committee would ensure that every application to be submitted was complete, in terms of the forms and the required supporting documents.

"We need to help these children (without citizenship status) because if we don’t, the children would be categorised as foreigners.

"Some people misunderstand the NRD (National Registration Department) as the one that determines the status of citizenship, but this actually done by the Minister of Home Affairs,” said the minister. — Borneo Post Online