Latest news with #Article15A
Borneo Post
3 days ago
- Politics
- Borneo Post
Committee to review 1,247 Sabah citizenship applications
Saifuddin (seventh left) and Hajiji (eighth right) with the committee members before the meeting. KOTA KINABALU (Aug 14): A total of 1,247 citizenship applications from Sabah will be evaluated by the newly established Sabah State-Level Special Committee on Citizenship Status, jointly chaired by Federal Home Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail and Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor. Saifuddin revealed this after chairing the committee's inaugural meeting at Menara Kinabalu today. He said the applications, made under Article 15A of the Federal Constitution, were among more than 2,000 submissions recorded from 2021 to 2024. 'This committee has been established to thoroughly review and recommend decisions on each citizenship application. These include applications involving children born out of wedlock, those under institutional care, and children born to non-citizen parents, among others,' he explained. He added that the committee was formed to expedite decisions on the 1,247 cases currently under its consideration, following a similar mechanism already in place between the Home Ministry and the Sarawak Government. During the meeting, Saifuddin and Hajiji also co-chaired the Central Committee on Foreign Nationals Management, which aims to digitalise data collection efforts.
The Star
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Star
Joint federal-state committee set up to fast-track citizenship applications under Article 15A in Sabah
KOTA KINABALU: A joint federal–state committee has been set up in Sabah to fast-track citizenship applications for stateless children and other eligible applicants under Article 15A of the Federal Constitution. The committee, co-chaired by Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail and Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, held its first meeting here on Thursday (Aug 14). Under Article 15A, citizenship may be granted in special circumstances to children who are stateless, born out of wedlock, from care centres, or whose parents are non-citizens. Saifuddin said the new committee's main aim was to speed up decisions on such cases, which often take years to process. 'Today, we decided on 1,247 applications out of more than 2,000 received in Sabah between 2021 and 2024. This committee will help ensure cases are reviewed and decided more efficiently,' he told a press conference after the meeting. A similar committee already exists in Sarawak, where it has helped clear backlogs in citizenship cases. Saifuddin stressed that the committee's work is separate from other immigration matters, such as foreign worker registration or permanent residency applications. 'This is strictly about applications under Article 15A. Each case is carefully reviewed before a decision is made,' he said, adding that the exercise is currently under the Chief Minister's Department and discussions will continue on possible data-sharing and other next steps. 'If there is an application, this committee will consider it for citizenship, but applications must be made to the Home Ministry,' he added. Touching on Sabah's digital registration of foreign nationals, Saifuddin said 113,282 people, mostly from the plantation sector, have been registered under a centralised biometric system so far. 'Data collection currently focuses on the plantation sector, including employers and their dependents. This involves taking photographs, thumbprints and other details. The exercise will later expand to sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, mining, and quarrying,' he said. He added that the registration exercise is unrelated to citizenship, permanent residency, or naturalisation. 'It targets foreign nationals working in Sabah and aims to improve monitoring, tracking, and management in real time,' he explained. Asked when the exercise would be extended to other sectors, Saifuddin said: 'If you ask me, it should have been done last month. But I have asked the State Government to finalise a reasonable timeframe. I am optimistic this is the right direction.' During the meeting, Saifuddin said they also agreed to impose an enforcement moratorium for a 'reasonable period', to be set by the Sabah government, so that foreign nationals have time to register. 'On one side, the Sabah Government is collecting and digitalising data on foreign nationals for future monitoring. On the other, the Immigration Department also has an enforcement role, targeting those who misuse their passes, overstay, or enter illegally. 'To avoid a clash, where registration is happening on one side but enforcement is carried out on the other, we agreed to suspend enforcement temporarily. We need accurate and credible data to develop more comprehensive policies on the presence of foreign nationals in our country,' he said. Meanwhile, Saifuddin said the Bajau Laut community, mostly found off Sabah's south-eastern coast in Semporna, is not being left behind. Known as sea nomads, they are part of ongoing efforts to help them settle on land and find steady work. He said the Sabah Government, with federal support, has been moving members of this sea-faring community from boats and stilt houses to proper settlements on land, such as Pantai Manis in Semporna. They are also being offered work opportunities in places like Felda Sahabat in Lahad Datu plantations. 'It is far from the perception that this community is isolated or neglected. The truth is, efforts to bring them into the economy and daily life on land are already under way. Unfortunately, these efforts do not get enough media coverage, so many people do not know about them,' Saifuddin said. The Bajau Laut, who have long relied on fishing and lived mostly at sea, face challenges such as limited access to education, healthcare, and stable jobs. Current initiatives aim to address these gaps by providing housing on land and work training.
The Sun
27-05-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
S'wak govt has received 95 temporary document applications from stateless individuals
KUCHING: A total of 95 individuals in Sarawak have applied for the Temporary Document for Stateless Individuals (DSITKS) between Jan 1 and May 19 this year. Sarawak Women, Children and Community Wellbeing Development Minister Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah said of that number, 35 applications had been approved while 60 were rejected for failing to meet the eligibility criteria. 'The rejections were due to, among other things, the absence of birth certificates, birth certificates not registered in Sarawak, failure to apply for citizenship under Article 15A of the Federal Constitution, and applicants being over the age of 21,' she said during her winding-up speech for her ministry at the State Assembly sitting here today. Fatimah said that in addressing complex citizenship cases, the Sarawak government had also introduced an additional policy involving the inclusion of the 'K' indicator on the MyKad of children granted citizenship under Article 15A. 'On Sept 26, 2024, the Sarawak government approved the inclusion of the 'K' indicator on the identity cards of children granted citizenship under Article 15A of the Federal Constitution, who are adopted by or whose parents are citizens residing in Sarawak and have the 'K' indicator, as an additional policy to be adopted by the National Registration Department (NRD) in Sarawak,' she said. She added that as of April 30 this year, the Sarawak NRD had received and approved 42 applications for the inclusion of the 'K' indicator for the children concerned.
