Warisan-led Sabah sets path to citizenship for some stateless children

SANDAKAN POLLS | In the 1970s, Sabah became the destination for refugees fleeing the Moro conflict in Southern Phillippines.

Decades later, their descendants have been rendered stateless with no connection to their country of origin.

The large number of stateless people in Pulau Berhala and Kampung Sim Sim in Sandakan is evidence of this legacy problem.

According to Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Christina Liew, the new state government is beginning to address this with a policy to recognise stateless children as Sabahans if at least one of their parents is Sabahan.

When pressed about stateless children whose parents are also undocumented, Liew said the Sabah government can only solve problems one at a time.

"Let us settle this first (stateless children with one Sabahan parent) because some of the children are already grown," she said.

"It's time for them to go to school and yet they can't, because their status is not clear.

"Once we are able to settle that part, then we will be able to settle the other part."

Liew said this while accompanying Deputy Prime Minister Wan Azizah Wan Ismail on the campaign trail for Vivan Wong, the Harapan candidate for the Sandakan by-election.

Wan Azizah, meanwhile, said Putrajaya must find ways to integrate stateless children born in the country, as they have nowhere else to return to and it was better to turn them into productive members of society.

"We have to look after them because of their future. They are not going anywhere. They need education and a source of livelihood.

"They need basic skills and training so that they can be more productive in our society," she said.

Wan Azizah, also the family, community and welfare development minister, promised that the government would not turn a blind eye to the issue.

Beginning this year, the Harapan-led federal government has allowed stateless children to study in government schools.

The Warisan-led Sabah government, meanwhile, is beginning to register stateless children.

Warisan is in a coalition government with Pakatan Harapan and Upko in the state. - Mkini