TAWAU: A social activist argues that outright rejection of requests from residents in remote areas in Sabah for legitimate identification documents can be a form of injustice, especially if they are indeed local inhabitants.
Salman Nurillah stated, “It is common for a leader to support such applications, and it is up to the relevant government agencies to approve them based on the regulations in effect at the time.”
He further expressed that it is inappropriate to politicise or exaggerate the genuine intentions of former Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal in assisting villagers through support letters for obtaining identification documents.
“The question is, should leaders deny the pleas of villagers who are earnestly seeking help to acquire identification documents?” he remarked in his latest social media post.
Salman, a law graduate from Universiti Malaya, emphasises that according to existing regulations, the authority to approve applications for identity documents lies with the National Registration Department (JPN), not the Chief Minister of Sabah.
“I see the support letter from the former Chief Minister of Sabah (Shafie) as an isolated case, not something extended to thousands of individuals, but rather deliberately highlighted, especially with the upcoming state elections.
“In the previous state elections, a similar issue was raised, portraying the Warisan party as a facilitator for illegal immigrants (PTI friendly), aimed at instilling fear among the Kadazan Dusun Murut voters and the Chinese electorate.
“I observe that the same tactic is being employed now, showcasing Shafie’s support letter to assist a villager in obtaining identity documents,” he stated.
Salman pointed out that logically speaking, providing ‘digital documents’ to foreign nationals or illegal immigrants to work or remain in the state constitutes a form of ‘assistance’ to them, facilitating their prolonged stay in the region.
It is said that not many are aware that the country’s legal provisions allow individuals who have resided continuously in Sabah for ten years to apply for Malaysian citizenship, although this is subject to approval from the authorities.
Salman noted that several factors contribute to the delayed applications for obtaining identification documents.
Previously, he mentioned that if a woman married a foreign national, their children would inherit the father’s citizenship. In contrast, when a man marries a foreign woman, their children automatically become citizens.
“Due to gender discrimination, the current regulations now allow local women married to foreign men to have their children eligible for citizenship,” he stated.
Salman explained that the previous regulations, which did not permit the children of local women married to foreign nationals to obtain citizenship, have also contributed to the number of children lacking identification documents.
Another contributing factor is divorce, where children may be raised by grandparents, uncles, aunts, or relatives who are unable to secure the necessary documents because the parents cannot be located, he added.
According to Salman, leaders should understand that the authority to issue identification documents lies with the National Registration Department (JPN), which has its own standard operating procedures that cannot be influenced by third parties or political figures.
He also mentioned that some individuals possess birth certificates indicating their citizenship status but are unable to obtain identity cards, with some being in their 40s and already parents themselves.
Additionally, Salman pointed out cases where all siblings are citizens, yet one or two among them do not have identification cards.
