KUCHING: An increasing number of stateless infants and children in Sarawak are being discovered, adding to a growing backlog of unresolved cases pending federal approval.
Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) secretary-general Datuk Sebastian Ting said the state government must be granted autonomy to issue birth certificates for stateless babies and children, as processing in Putrajaya remains too slow to address new cases.
Ting, who is also state tourism, culture and creative arts deputy minister, said the problem would persist as long as all decision-making is concentrated in the federal capital.
“Sarawak needs to be given autonomy to solve the stateless cases that are increasingly being uncovered. We in SUPP are handling countless cases.”
He said if Sarawak was empowered to issue birth certificates, the process of obtaining MyKad would become more straightforward for affected children.
Ting said his office is currently handling a large backlog of stateless cases, involving individuals from infants to the elderly.
“At the moment, most cases take years to resolve as they have to be referred to Putrajaya.”
SUPP is a component of the ruling Gabungan Parti Sarawak coalition, which also includes Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu, Parti Rakyat Sarawak and the Progressive Democratic Party.
