Is the Home Ministry in claiming it does not keep records of the stateless in Malaysia despite recording 374,500 red identity card holders in 2009, be an attempt at sweeping the problem under the carpet?
Kulai MP Teo Nie Ching (right) asked this today, pointing out the curious discrepancy between the Home Ministry's parliamentary replies on the matter in 2009 and this year.
"According to a parliamentary written reply from home affairs minister dated March 11, 2009, there were 32,440 stateless children in Malaysia.
"In another parliamentary written reply dated November 5, 2009, home affairs minister said there were 374,500 red identity card holders in Malaysia.
"However, when I raised the same question in Parliament on September 24, 2013, the minister of home affairs now claimed that National Registration Department (NRD) did not keep record of the number of stateless people in our country.
"A sudden change of reply made us wonder if it is an effort to cover up the seriousness of the issue," said Teo in a statement.
Kulai MP Teo Nie Ching (right) asked this today, pointing out the curious discrepancy between the Home Ministry's parliamentary replies on the matter in 2009 and this year."According to a parliamentary written reply from home affairs minister dated March 11, 2009, there were 32,440 stateless children in Malaysia.
"In another parliamentary written reply dated November 5, 2009, home affairs minister said there were 374,500 red identity card holders in Malaysia.
"However, when I raised the same question in Parliament on September 24, 2013, the minister of home affairs now claimed that National Registration Department (NRD) did not keep record of the number of stateless people in our country.
"A sudden change of reply made us wonder if it is an effort to cover up the seriousness of the issue," said Teo in a statement.
NRD must cooperate over stateless
She said while the Penang government was trying to help the stateless obtain ICs, cooperation from NRD and the Home Ministry to solve the plight of these people.
Teo, who is also DAP assistant national publicity secretary, also slammed the government for not adopting the UN's Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) article 7 that states that a child should be "registered immediately after birth" and have the right to acquire a nationality.
"If hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants could obtain IC in Sabah under the notorious IC project, we see no reason why there can’t be some leniency upon the stateless children in our nation," she said.
While Malaysia accepted the CRC on February 17, 1995, it had failed to accept article 7 expressing "reservations", she said.
"Even if our government is not ready to give all children born in Malaysia citizenship, we urge the government to loosen restrictions.
"Based on humanitarian grounds, those stateless children whose parent, biological or adopted, is a Malaysian, should be given Malaysian nationality," she added.
Teo, who is also DAP assistant national publicity secretary, also slammed the government for not adopting the UN's Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) article 7 that states that a child should be "registered immediately after birth" and have the right to acquire a nationality.
"If hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants could obtain IC in Sabah under the notorious IC project, we see no reason why there can’t be some leniency upon the stateless children in our nation," she said.
While Malaysia accepted the CRC on February 17, 1995, it had failed to accept article 7 expressing "reservations", she said.
"Even if our government is not ready to give all children born in Malaysia citizenship, we urge the government to loosen restrictions.
"Based on humanitarian grounds, those stateless children whose parent, biological or adopted, is a Malaysian, should be given Malaysian nationality," she added.
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