NRD denies bureaucracy in stateless HIV boy’s access to treatment

The National Registration Department (NRD) has denied allegations that bureaucratic obstacles within its department were responsible for the challenges faced by a stateless boy with HIV in obtaining sufficient treatment, which resulted in his passing.

In a statement today, the NRD said it did not discriminate against any application as citizenship was processed in accordance with the Federal Constitution and relevant laws.

“Each case is examined based on the presented facts and legal requirements before decisions are made,” read the statement.

The NRD was responding to a Malaysiakini report titled “Stateless boy with HIV dies after being deprived treatment for years” which highlighted the various bureaucratic processes that denied him access to affordable medical care to manage his HIV infection.

Prenatally infected, nine-year-old Andy’s (not his real name) treatment delay was rooted in the fact that he was unable to prove his citizenship, even though his grandparents, aunts, and uncles are Malaysians.

His mother is the only one of her siblings who is stateless, despite her birth certificate stating she is Malaysian.

Andy’s parents did not register their marriage, and his father, a Malaysian from Kuala Lumpur, is no longer in the picture. Without his parents' marriage certificate, Andy was denied citizenship.

Despite being born in Malaysia to a Malaysian parent, Andy died stateless several months after Malaysiakini met him and his struggle was featured in the second instalment of Malaysiakini’s six-part, Malaysia Day series on the issue of statelessness in the country.

Even births of stateless must be registered

The NRD also refuted allegations highlighted in the fifth instalment of Malaysiakini’s stateless series titled “Generation of Sabah stateless living in a landfill may be evicted” that its Lahad Datu office was preventing stateless babies from registering their births.

The report revealed that in recent months, births, especially home births of children of stateless parents were not documented mainly because of the lack of a valid marriage certificate.

There are claims that the Lahad Datu NRD would only entertain birth registrations if both parents were citizens.

“There are absolutely no obstacles for stateless persons to register the birth of their children.

“All births must be registered, and birth certificates are issued with citizenship status or as a non-citizen.

“The NRD reaffirms its commitment to the welfare and humanitarian concerns of individuals it engages with,” read its statement. - Mkini