Recently in parliament, Shafie said a state-initiated programme will be implemented to assist stateless children born in Sabah secure proper documents like birth certificates.
KOTA KINABALU: Opposition politicians in Sabah are concerned over Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal’s plan to help legalise stateless children who have one parent who is local.
Sabah Wanita MCA deputy chairman Dr Pamela Yong said all children should have the right to basic necessities and education, but voiced concerns that the effort might result in abuse of power and people taking advantage of the situation.
“First of all, how is the government going to make sure that there will be utmost transparency when implementing this? And how can they make sure that there will be zero abuse of power or corruption in all the departments involved in this?” she said on Wednesday (March 13).
She asked if the government could ensure that those verifying the identities of the local parents would not be bribed?
“We have seen – and we know – many of these Sabahans got their Malaysian citizenship through loopholes in the system years back,” Yong said.
“So how do we make sure that these children have a genuine Malaysian parent?” she asked.
She said she was all for the plan if the government could prove that there would not be any loopholes or people taking advantage of the situation.
Recently in parliament, Shafie said a state-initiated programme will be implemented to assist stateless children born in Sabah secure proper documents like birth certificates to ensure they had a brighter future.
Apart from Yong, Kiulu assemblyman Datuk Joniston Bangkuai also voiced his concerns.
He claimed that a third or maybe half of Sabah’s population were illegal immigrants, so it was of paramount importance for the government to meticulously check and thoroughly investigate if those applying for Malaysian identification documents met all the requirements.
The Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) information chief said there should be reliable verification as to which kampung or town these children were born in and whether one of their parents were genuinely locals.
“Another concern is that after the Warisan-led govt terminated the services of all ketua kampungs and native chiefs some eight months ago to make way for the appointment of new ones, who will verify the status of applicants with doubtful background?” he asked.
Native chiefs are among those who are legally allowed to verify the status of a person or the authenticity of a document used as a proof of identity before they apply for citizenship.
Bangkuai said a special panel comprising officials from the relevant departments and the native court should be set up in all districts and at the state level to verify and screen all applicants.
He said it was not prudent just to cite humanitarian grounds in issuing documents.
Bangkuai said the authorities ought to be transparent when investigating, processing or issuing documents.
“I believe many would want to know how many of them have been issued with Malaysian documents thus far,” he added.
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