KUCHING: The Sarawak Special Committee on Citizenship Status received 30 citizenship applications in their latest meeting, comprising 20 illegitimate children, five under guardianship and five adopted children.
Minister of Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah shared that last year, the committee have received a total of 36 citizenship applications under Article 15A of the Federal Constitution.
She added that while the committee facilitates and verifies each application, the final decision depends on the policies and regulations with the federal government.
“We can only make recommendations, but the Ministry of Home Affairs is the ultimate decision-maker,” she said at a press conference after chairing the Sarawak-level Special Committee for Citizenship Status under Article 15A today (Feb 27).
Fatimah noted that the decline in applications compared to previous years indicates growing public awareness of the importance of obtaining citizenship documents early.
“In fact, more parents are now applying for their children’s citizenship at a young age instead of waiting until adolescence, which is a very positive development,” she said.
As chairperson of the Sarawak Special Committee on Citizenship Status, she said that their role is to ensure that each application is scrutinised in detail before being submitted to the authorities for a final decision.
She added these efforts aim to assist eligible individuals in obtaining citizenship and ensure that no issues arise regarding citizenship status, especially among children in Sarawak.
