Citizenship amendments will impact healthcare for stateless, says think tank

 

Galen Centre’s Azrul Khalib said fear of persecution by the authorities keeps stateless people or their caregivers from accessing healthcare until it becomes absolutely necessary and is more expensive. (File pic)

PETALING JAYA: The proposed amendments to the Federal Constitution’s citizenship provisions will increase risks and vulnerabilities in the nation’s health security, says Azrul Khalib.

The Galen Centre for Health & Social Policy chief executive was the latest to take aim at the amendments, which among others will require any person to register foundlings within one year to obtain their citizenship.

Foundlings are infants who are abandoned by their parents and later cared for by others.

Azrul said that stateless people are much less able to afford healthcare than citizens, especially as they and their caregivers must pay non-citizen fees at public hospitals for medical treatment, likely out of their own pockets.

“It is not likely that they would have health insurance. Any sickness or injury, however minor, could be costly and prohibitive.

“As a result, those who are stateless or caring for such individuals may be fearful of having to pay high hospital and treatment bills.

“Why would we want to deliberately classify hundreds or even thousands of newborns, infants and adolescents as being stateless, inflicting hardship on foundlings, both in the present and in the future?” he asked in a statement.

Azrul said that fear of persecution by the authorities also keeps stateless people or their caregivers from seeking and accessing healthcare until it becomes absolutely necessary and is more expensive.

He cited fears of increased racism, discrimination and xenophobia as barriers to critical health services and information.

“The stateless face huge obstacles and barriers to accessing services that many of us take for granted. For stateless individuals, every instance of ill health could be a life-and-death situation,” he said.

Azrul said the “regressive” proposed amendment requiring foundlings to be registered within one year would deprive children of citizenship due to parental, third-party neglect, or bad luck.

He called for the five proposed amendments to be decoupled and voted on separately.

“The Cabinet and MPs need to ground their decisions regarding this issue on compassion, dignity, common sense and humanitarianism,” he said.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said last week that the proposed constitutional amendments would be tabled in Parliament this month.

The Malaysian Bar has described the proposed amendments as “10 steps backwards” as they would not improve the statelessness situation.

Suhakam has urged the government to adopt a holistic and comprehensive approach in dealing with citizenship matters and have extensive consultations with all involved, including civil society organisations and experts in children’s rights and statelessness. - FMT