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MIRI – A group of 30 children from a remote settlement called Long Singut in Belaga district in central Sarawak, aged between six to 12, have been allegedly forced to stop classes after it was found that they were stateless and did not possess personal documents.
Concerned parties have since alerted Sarawak PKR deputy chairman Abun Sui, who is also Sarawak Pakatan Harapan information chief, over this.
Sui, a lawyer, has issued an appeal urging for intervention from the Education Ministry to help these children.
He appealed to Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek to look into the matter urgently and called on the GPS state government to intervene swiftly.
Sui, himself a native of Belaga, told The Vibes today the issue of statelessness has to be addressed once and for all.
“This group of 30 children are innocent and suffering as their parents, for some reason, had failed to register their births or get identification cards for them.
“These children were ordered to leave a government school after the school authorities found they were stateless.
“We are appealing to the ministry to allow them to attend government schools.
“They should be allowed to be in school while their applications to the National Registration Department for birth certificates and MyKad are being processed.
“These applications are very difficult and take years (to complete).
“These stateless children should at least be allowed to go to government schools for now,” he said.
A group of community volunteers are now teaching these kids on their own as they cannot go to school anymore, said Sui.
He pointed out that such woes afflicting Sarawakian children without personal documents are widespread.
“Such cases are not just in the Belaga district but also in many parts of the Hulu Rajang parliamentary constituency and other remote places in Sarawak,” he said.
It was previously estimated there could be at least 60,000 Sarawakians who are still stateless without personal documents. – The Vibes, December 10, 2022