SARAWAK wants Putrajaya to reinstate the special committee that vets the citizenship applications of stateless and undocumented children.

Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development Minister Fatimah Abdullah said she will make the appeal to the home minister when she pays him a courtesy call.

She said no date has yet been fixed for the call.

She said she had discussed the matter today with officials from the Home Ministry, the National Registration Department and Suhakam.

The Sarawak Special Committee on Citizenship was disbanded by the Pakatan Harapan government last year.

The committee was formed in 2016 under the Barisan Nasional government.

Fatimah had in July last year said the decision by the PH government to disband the committee was politically motivated.

She did not name names but charged that interference by “hidden hands” had led to the July 22 disbandment.

DAP state chairman Chong Chieng Jen had, after Fatimah made her accusation, stated Sarawak PH lawmakers who have direct access to the Home Ministry’s office, would effectively help Putrajaya expedite the citizenship applications.

Chong claimed “the more intense and personal follow-ups” by PH elected representatives had produced results.

He had then claimed “within two to three months”, the PH reps had 31 applications approved.

The speed or a decision is the reason why Sarawak wants the committee reinstated, Fatimah told reporters in a press conference at her office in Petrajaya this afternoon.

She said prior to the formations of the committee in 2016, the average time it took to decide on an application was five years.

But in the three years of the committee, the average time it took dropped to two years.

“Speed (is the crux of the issue).”

Fatimah said the committee was there to ensure applicants do not submit wrong or incomplete forms that could get kicked back thus prolonging the process.

The committee then makes their recommendation to the Home Minister.

Fatimah said the five main reasons why a child, even though born in Sarawak, is considered stateless and a non-citizen if the marriage of the child’s parents are not registered, the child’s mother is a foreign citizen, the child born out of wedlock, their parents similarly are undocumented, and the child’s birth not registered.

The state has no estimate on the number of stateless or undocumented children but Fatimah said to date, there are slightly over 700 applications by children under the age of 21 for citizenship.– July 8, 2020.