SUHAKAM WANTS HELP FOR STATELESS M’SIANS

KUALA LUMPUR: The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) wants the government to set up a special task force to look into the growing problem of ‘stateless’ Malaysians.

Commissioner Datuk N. Siva Subramaniam said the task force must specifically look into the core problem and others like documentation and to solve them. He said the issue needed to be addressed urgently.

“It is sad to learn that some Malaysians still do not have identification documents now. “This is a violation of the basic human rights as no eligible Malaysians should be denied the rights of citizenship,” he told Bernama when commenting on the increasing number of cases of ‘stateless’ Malaysians that attracted national attention.

Last week, odd-job worker P. Ragu travelled with his family from Johor to Perak to seek the help of Perak’s Sultan Azlan Shah to get him a MyKad, after using a temporary identification paper since 1998.

MIC secretary-general, Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam, had estimated that at least 20,000 Malaysian Indians were still without identification papers. Subramaniam said this could just be the tip of the iceberg.

He said Suhakam had handled many such cases before and every time the National Registration Department (NRD) would say the process of obtaining identification documents was a complicated matter and would take a long time.

“This problem has lingered on for too long and it seems there are no serious efforts taken to solve it. “If the problems lie with the system or the bureaucracy, then change the system or simplify the procedures. Don’t trouble the people so much,” he said. He also suggested that NRD hired more officials that could speak the local dialects to help locals get registered.

Subramaniam said there was a need to organise more awareness and educational programmes on the importance for parents to register their children, especially in rural areas.

Meanwhile, Siva said Suhakam would also investigate another case where a 78-year-old Sino-Kadazan in Penampang who was issued with a red identity card with a status of a permanent resident after she lost her blue IC.

“Such a thing should not have happened. This shows how inefficient the NRD is. How can they simply take away the citizenship of a rightful Malaysian,” he said. –

Bernama