PRESS STATEMENT
KUALA LUMPUR (20 JANUARY 2022) – The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM) is concerned on the case of Rohana Abdullah, a stateless woman raised by a Malaysian who has been struggling with her citizenship issue after reportedly being abandoned by her biological Indonesian mother and Malaysian father when she was two months old. Abandoned children always suffer from discrimination and were denied basic rights such as access to education and medical care.
SUHAKAM commends the Prime Minister’s gesture to assist Rohana and welcomes the Home Minister’s move to investigate this matter, but hopes that the Ministry of Home Affairs will not only focus on citizenship applications on a case by case basis but instead, take a holistic approach to address all citizenship issues involving stateless persons in Malaysia. Stateless persons have been struggling with the denial of fundamental human rights and dignity and it is incumbent upon the State to find an immediate resolution to bridge this gap, in respect of the rights of the children. Currently, children separated from their biological parents and born out of wedlock are mostly affected by the citizenship law in Malaysia. While Malaysia’s provisions relating to citizenship adhere to the principle of jus sanguinis, they are strictly conditioned on proof of the legality of marriage of biological parents and place of birth of the child.
Article 8(2) of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) obliges Malaysia to re-establish speedily, a child’s identity in the event they were illegally deprived of some or all the elements of his or her identity. In addition, SUHAKAM has consistently advised the Government to withdraw its reservation on the right to nationality under Article 7(1) of the CRC and ratify the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) which contains the same guarantee under Article 24(2). The Federal Constitution (FC) of Malaysia contains a strong legal safeguard against statelessness as provided in the Second Schedule of the FC which states that “every person born within the Federation who is not a citizen of any other country is a citizen of Malaysia by operation of law”. The Federal Court landmark case of CCH & Anor v Pendaftar Besar Bagi Kelahiran Dan Kematian Malaysia (2021) clarifies that ‘citizenship by operation of law’ is a fundamental and constitutional right. In addition, section 19B of Part III of the Second Schedule of the FC clearly provides that every person born in Malaysia who is not proven to be a citizen of any other country and who does not acquire any other citizenship is a citizen of Malaysia by operation of the law. In cases like this, the documentation required by the National Department of Registration (NRD) must be reasonable and in line with the provisions of the FC as stateless persons are generally lack of any proper and formal form of identification.
Stateless communities in Malaysia are unable to enjoy their inherent rights such as education, health care, employment, social security, freedom of movement and many others, which could also lead to serious social problems. If not addressed, the cycle of statelessness will also be endless for their future generations. Therefore, in addressing this long-standing issue, SUHAKAM calls for the Government to immediately review and reform all laws and policies on citizenship and to adopt more transparent procedures in facilitating the application of citizenship to reduce and prevent statelessness in the country.
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Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM)
20 January 2022
Media queries: Contact Mrs. Norashikin Hamzah at 03-2612 5687 / 019-621 5336 or shikin@suhakam.org.my
KENYATAAN MEDIA
KUALA LUMPUR (20 JANUARY 2022) – Suruhanjaya Hak Asasi Manusia Malaysia (SUHAKAM) prihatin dengan kes Rohana Abdullah, wanita tak bernegara yang dibesarkan oleh warganegara Malaysia dan dilaporkan telah ditinggalkan oleh ibu kandung warganegara Indonesia dan bapa kandung warganegara Malaysia sejak berusia dua bulan. Kanak-kanak yang ditinggalkan begini sering didiskriminasi dan dinafikan hak asasi seperti akses kepada pendidikan dan penjagaan kesihatan.
SUHAKAM memuji niat Perdana Menteri menawarkan bantuan kepada Rohana dan menyambut baik tindakan Menteri Dalam Negeri untuk menyiasat isu ini namun berharap agar Kementerian Dalam Negeri tidak hanya memberikan tumpuan kepada kes-kes tertentu sebaliknya mengambil pendekatan menyeluruh untuk menangani semua isu yang melibatkan orang tak bernegara di Malaysia. Hak asasi dan maruah diri mereka dinafikan dan adalah menjadi kewajipan negara untuk mencari penyelesaian segera bagi merapatkan jurang ini demi kepentingan hak kanak-kanak. Pada masa ini, kanak-kanak yang terpisah daripada ibubapa kandung dan dilahirkan luar nikah adalah yang paling terjejas dengan undang-undang kewargannegaraan di Malaysia. Meskipun peruntukan berhubung kewarganegaraan di Malaysia mematuhi prinsip jus sanguinis, kewarganegaraan ditentukan oleh bukti status perkahwinan yang sah ibu dan bapa kandung serta tempat kelahiran kanak-kanak tersebut.
Di bawah Perkara 8(2) Konvensyen mengenai hak Kanak-kanak PBB (CRC) Malaysia harus mengembalikan segera identiti seorang kanak-kanak sekiranya sebahagian atau kesemua elemen identiti mereka dilucutkan secara tidak sah. SUHAKAM konsisten menasihati Kerajaan menamatkan reservasi kepada hak kerakyatan di bawah Perkara 7(1) CRC dan meratifikasi Konvensyen Antarabangsa Hak Sivil dan Politik (ICCPR) yang mengandungi jaminan yang sama di bawah Perkara 24(2). Perlembagaan Persekutuan (PP) Malaysia mengandungi perlindungan yang kukuh terhadap ketiadaan kewarganegaraan dalam Jadual Kedua Perlembagaan Persekutuan yang memperuntukkan bahawa “tiap-tiap orang yang lahir di Persekutuan dan pada masa dia lahir tidak menjadi warganegara mana-mana negara ialah warganegara Malaysia melalui kuat kuasa undang-undang”. Kes Mahkamah Persekutuan CCH & Anor v Pendaftar Besar Bagi Kelahiran Dan Kematian Malaysia (2021) menjelaskan bahawa ‘kewarganegaraan melalui kuasa undang-undang’ merupakan hak asasi dan hak perlembagaan. Malah Seksyen 19B Bahagian III Jadual Kedua Perlembagaan Persekutuan jelas memperuntukkan bahawa tiap-tiap orang yang lahir di Malaysia dan tiada bukti menjadi warganegara mana-mana negara ialah warganegara Malaysia melalui kuat kuasa undang-undang.
Komuniti tak bernegara di Malaysia tidak dapat menikmati hak asasi seperti pendidikan, penjagaan kesihatan, pekerjaan, keselamatan sosial, kebebasan bergerak dan banyak lagi yang boleh menjurus kepada masalah sosial yang lebih serius. Jika tidak ditangani, kitaran tak bernegara akan terus berpanjangan sehingga generasi mereka yang akan datang. Sehubungan itu, bagi menangani isu yang telah wujud sekian lama ini, SUHAKAM menyeru Kerajaan segera mengkaji semula dan memperbaharui semua undang-undang dan dasar mengenai kewarganegaraan dan mengamalkan prosedur yang lebih telus untuk memudahkan permohonan kewarganegaraan seterusnya mengurangkan serta mengekang isu orang tak bernegara di negara ini.
-TAMAT-
Suruhanjaya Hak Asasi Manusia Malaysia (SUHAKAM)
20 January 2022
Pertanyaan Media: Sila hubungi Pn. Norashikin Hamzah melalui 03-2612 5687 / 019-621 5336 atau shikin@suhakam.org.my
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