KOTA KINABALU: A joint federal–state committee has been set up in Sabah to fast-track citizenship applications for stateless children and other eligible applicants under Article 15A of the Federal Constitution.
The committee, co-chaired by Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail and Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, held its first meeting here on Thursday (Aug 14).
Under Article 15A, citizenship may be granted in special circumstances to children who are stateless, born out of wedlock, from care centres, or whose parents are non-citizens.
Saifuddin said the new committee’s main aim was to speed up decisions on such cases, which often take years to process.
“Today, we decided on 1,247 applications out of more than 2,000 received in Sabah between 2021 and 2024. This committee will help ensure cases are reviewed and decided more efficiently,” he told a press conference after the meeting.
A similar committee already exists in Sarawak, where it has helped clear backlogs in citizenship cases.
Saifuddin stressed that the committee’s work is separate from other immigration matters, such as foreign worker registration or permanent residency applications.
“This is strictly about applications under Article 15A. Each case is carefully reviewed before a decision is made,” he said, adding that the exercise is currently under the Chief Minister’s Department and discussions will continue on possible data-sharing and other next steps.
“If there is an application, this committee will consider it for citizenship, but applications must be made to the Home Ministry,” he added.
Touching on Sabah’s digital registration of foreign nationals, Saifuddin said 113,282 people, mostly from the plantation sector, have been registered under a centralised biometric system so far.
“Data collection currently focuses on the plantation sector, including employers and their dependents. This involves taking photographs, thumbprints and other details. The exercise will later expand to sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, mining, and quarrying,” he said.
He added that the registration exercise is unrelated to citizenship, permanent residency, or naturalisation.
“It targets foreign nationals working in Sabah and aims to improve monitoring, tracking, and management in real time,” he explained.
Asked when the exercise would be extended to other sectors, Saifuddin said: “If you ask me, it should have been done last month. But I have asked the State Government to finalise a reasonable timeframe. I am optimistic this is the right direction.”
During the meeting, Saifuddin said they also agreed to impose an enforcement moratorium for a “reasonable period”, to be set by the Sabah government, so that foreign nationals have time to register.
“On one side, the Sabah Government is collecting and digitalising data on foreign nationals for future monitoring. On the other, the Immigration Department also has an enforcement role, targeting those who misuse their passes, overstay, or enter illegally.
“To avoid a clash, where registration is happening on one side but enforcement is carried out on the other, we agreed to suspend enforcement temporarily. We need accurate and credible data to develop more comprehensive policies on the presence of foreign nationals in our country,” he said.
Meanwhile, Saifuddin said the Bajau Laut community, mostly found off Sabah’s south-eastern coast in Semporna, is not being left behind.
Known as sea nomads, they are part of ongoing efforts to help them settle on land and find steady work.
He said the Sabah Government, with federal support, has been moving members of this sea-faring community from boats and stilt houses to proper settlements on land, such as Pantai Manis in Semporna.
They are also being offered work opportunities in places like Felda Sahabat in Lahad Datu plantations.
“It is far from the perception that this community is isolated or neglected. The truth is, efforts to bring them into the economy and daily life on land are already under way. Unfortunately, these efforts do not get enough media coverage, so many people do not know about them,” Saifuddin said.
The Bajau Laut, who have long relied on fishing and lived mostly at sea, face challenges such as limited access to education, healthcare, and stable jobs.
Current initiatives aim to address these gaps by providing housing on land and work training.
