PENDING assemblywoman Violet Yong raised concerns in the August House about stateless children who, despite being granted citizenship, still encounter difficulties due to the lack of the “K” indicator on their MyKad, which denies them Sarawakian status.
During her debate on the motion to express gratitude for the Head of State Tun Pehin Sri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar’s address, Yong highlighted the lack of a clear policy from the Sarawak government on this issue.
She stressed that bureaucratic hurdles persist, preventing these children from accessing essential welfare assistance and educational opportunities.
“The Sarawak government is well aware of this issue and despite knowing that these children are left in a ‘limbo’ for the second time in their lives, they have not come up with a proper Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to deal with it immediately,” she said.
Furthermore, Yong raised concerns about the residency rights of West Malaysian or Sabahan husbands whose Sarawakian spouses pass away.
She recounted a specific case where a West Malaysian father was instructed to leave Sarawak upon his wife’s death, leaving his Sarawakian daughter without proper care and disrupting her life.
“I hope the Premier’s office and immigration authorities can come up with a policy to allow West Malaysian and Sabahan fathers whose spouses have passed on to continue staying here for the sake of their young children with ‘K’ status,” she said.
