SIBU: A total of 60 Sarawakians who were previously stateless will receive their Malaysian citizenship approval letters soon, says Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah.
The state Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Minister said on Tuesday (July 11) that of the number, 40 of them would be presented with the letter on July 24.
"40 of them will receive it from Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg at Wisma Bapa Malaysia on July 24 while the other 20 will get theirs in separate ceremonies," she said this after presenting temporary identification documents (TID) to six stateless children below the age of 21.
The six recipients include four from Sarikei Division and two from Sibu Division.
On the TID, Fatimah said that as of June 30 this year, a total of 189 of the 634 applications had been approved. The TID, which are valid for two years, give stateless children access to education and healthcare.
She said the document can only be applied for by stateless individuals aged 21 and below who have applied for Malaysian citizenship under Section 15A of the Federal Constitution.
From the 189, 18 of them had received their Malaysian citizenship under Article 15A of the Federal Constitution.
Another 289 of the applicants had met with the stipulated requirements while the remaining 345 applications did not.
"Most of the applications that did not get approved are those children who did not have a birth certificate," she stressed.
In line with this, she advised the parents to apply for a birth certificate for their children regardless of their child's age as it will help expedite the process for TID application.
