Duty to help stateless kids

THE heartbreaking plight of stateless persons, especially children, in this country was well explained in the column “Resolving statelessness in Malaysia” by Eric Paulsen, Malaysia’s representative to the Asean Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (Sunday Star, Sept 15; online at bit. ly/star_stateless).

Numerous articles have been posted on social media, including Facebook, by child advocates such as Syed Azmi Alhabshi and Dr Hartini Zainuddin of Yayasan Chow Kit, and published in newspapers, both online and print, to highlight the helplessness of people who are in this vulnerable situation through no fault of their own.

Many are repeatedly forced to face a barrage of bureaucratic red tape in their quest to live with dignity and to belong to the country. They cannot speak for themselves, hence we must be their voice and articulate their hopes of getting a system that would treat them justly.

Being stateless, they are denied education and are not protected from exploitation. This is unbelievable and a crying shame to all Malaysians, especially those who turn a blind eye to their plight.

Surely our ministers, including Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin (who is mentioned in Paulsen’s article for her “guardianship”), the Deputy Prime Minister who is also Minister of Women, Family and Community Development and the Home Minister who oversees the National Registration Department, are aware of the devastating effects of being stateless on children born here to a Malaysian parent.

The residents’ association and community in our middle class Kuala Lumpur area of former diplomats, doctors, lawyers, university professors, senior civil servants and others are trying our best to help normalise the lives of a family in our midst, five stateless siblings (aged between seven and 14 years old) who would otherwise grow up illiterate and uncertain of their future.

Last year, after it shockingly dawned on us that they are stateless, we investigated how we could help these motherless children. We recently managed to file the documentation for their birth certificates.

We went through an emotional roller-coaster of frustration, anger and sadness when we realised they did not know their full names or date of birth (which means they have never celebrated their birthdays) and learnt of their confusion when they are treated differently from other children in the area and elsewhere. It is bizarre that this is happening in our beloved country. Imagine children who don’t sing, not even Rasa Sayang or Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.

These “invisible” children cannot use public facilities like healthcare or go to school. Despite the Education Ministry’s assurance in November last year that they could go to school, information on how they could do this and how they can fit in is sorely lacking.

When one of our children ran a high temperature, the clinic he was taken to charged RM300 for the consultation fee and medicine. Lack of personal documentation was the reason given.

We are trying to help the children catch up on their lost years by tutoring them and taking them on trips outside of our neighbourhood. They have never been to the cinema and haven’t seen the sea either.

Appointing a Child Right’s Protection Commissioner under Suhakam is important, but every minute counts in the quest to get these children registered as Malaysians so that they can enjoy the full benefits of citizenship.

The Welfare Department, which mainly handles matters under the Child Act 2001 (and the Child Protection Act 1991), already has its hands full dealing with a myriad cases of abuse, juvenile delinquency, parental problems leading to neglect and the rising threat of pornography that is easily available over cell phones and other electronic devices.

We may have adequate legislation but, in its seemingly ad hoc execution, “an unjust law is no law at all”.

Statelessness is a major problem, hence a one-stop centre with trained counsellors (possibly under the National Registration Department to vet genuine cases) could provide relief and prevent unnecessary years of delay in granting these growing children their rightful place in the country.

We definitely need clear and sensible guidelines so that genuine stateless Malaysians are treated with basic decency. The Cabinet Ministers also have an urgent duty to help stop the wanton suffering of these voiceless children.

HOPEFUL CITIZEN NEIGHBOURS Kuala Lumpur