SIBU: The Sarawak government has been urged to allow police and army veterans married to Sarawakians to have the "K" imprinted on their MyKad.
"These veterans have married Sarawakians after their postings to the state. They have children who are Sarawakians but they are not," said Malaysia Crime Prevention Foundation (MCPF) member Datuk Mustapha Kamal on Friday (Dec 6).
Speaking at a press conference in conjunction with his visit to the state, Mustapha said these veterans have been facing inconveniences as their MyKad did not have the letter "K" on it – the status indicator for Sarawakian.
"As they do not have ‘K’ imprinted on their MyKad, they have no choice but to exit Sarawak every 90 days
"This means they can only stay in Sarawak for three months, after that they must exit and re-enter the state, and this continues on," he added.
Mustapha suggested that the government should consider the matter for those veterans who had served the state for more than 10 years.
"This is to appreciate their contributions to the state," he said.
The federal government does not have the power to issue MyKad with Sarawakian identity without the Sarawak government’s consent, in view of Sarawak having its own immigration autonomy.
This is a special power vested in the Sarawak government in order to protect the interests of Sarawakians.
