KUALA LUMPUR: Undocumented children in Sabah who are going through the citizenship application process should be allowed to sit for government examinations, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.
Their results should also be recognised for entry into public universities.
Isnaraissah Munirah Majilis (Warisan-Kota Belud) said the citizenship issue among the stateless in Sabah is unique, as many of those affected are children of parents who did not register their marriages.
This, she said, made their children stateless even though they were born here.
She said the stateless children are known by everyone in the village, including the village chief, but they remain undocumented.
During the debate on the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2024, Isnaraissah called for the government's assurances that all previous citizenship issues would be resolved first before the amendment is enforced.
"The old cases need to be settled because they have waited a long time.
"I (also) propose that undocumented children be allowed to sit for government examinations while awaiting their citizenship status. (Some of) the cases I've encountered — the father ran away, the mother is Indonesian, or the mother ran away (and the children are stateless as there is no marriage certificate).
"I hope the government not only allows these children to sit for examinations but also recognises their results, making them eligible to enter local public universities," she said.
Isnaraissah also asked how the government would ensure that the operations of the Sabah Special Committee on Citizenship Status and the special task force addressing the issue of undocumented residents would be affected by the enforcement of the amendments.
"How much involvement and authority will be given to the task force by the Home Ministry? Is it the same as the task force in Sarawak?"
She also asked if the Sabah Yang di-Pertua Negeri, Tun Juhar Mahiruddin, had approved the amendments, as Article 161E(2)(a) of the Federal Constitution requires the concurrence of the states of Sabah and Sarawak for the amendment of citizenship clauses.