Look into plight of stateless children, family support group urges PM

PETALING JAYA: A family support group has urged Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob to look into the numerous cases of stateless children which have not been resolved, saying there are many long-standing cases.

In thanking him for his intervention last month into the case of Rohana Abdullah after her plight was highlighted in the media, the Stateless Children Family Support Group (SFSG) said the situation of many others also needed urgent attention.

Rohana had been denied citizenship because her father, a Malaysian, had abandoned her when she was two months old.

She was then brought up by kindergarten teacher, Chee Hoi Lan, who took extra measures to ensure her religious upbringing.

In a statement, the SFSG committee highlighted some of the grievances its members had faced in their citizenship applications.

“The waiting process is very long where cases from 2014 have not even received a reply from the home ministry. Many also received rejection letters without any reason given.

“The government should comply with international human rights standards. Malaysia has breached Article 7(1) of the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of the Child,” it said.

Article 7(1) of the convention provides that every child born here shall be registered immediately after birth and have the right from birth to a name and nationality.

“We sincerely hope that Ismail’s Keluarga Malaysia government is committed to resolving the issue of statelessness in Malaysia as a member of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council,” said SFSG. — Free Malaysia Today