Jerry (center) and MHO officers during the press conference.
KOTA KINABALU (May 21): The Malaysia International Humanitarian Organisation (MHO) has urged the government to relax the requirements for applying for the Temporary Resident Identification Card, or MyKas, for stateless individuals in Sabah on humanitarian grounds.
MHO Sabah chief operation officer Captain (R) Jerry Jaimeh said stateless individuals should be confused with illegal immigrants (PTI), as they were born in Malaysia but lack identification documents.
“We are not talking about a group that had just entered or overstayed beyond the permitted period.
“We are referring to individuals who were born in Malaysia, have birth certificates or proof of birth, but do not have any foreign citizenship,” he said at a press conference at the Sabah MHO office in Asia City.
Jerry said the stateless group should be distinguished from PTI as their parents had entered Sabah legally and were issued documents by the state government.
He said among the documents previously were IMM13 permits, Social Welfare Department (JKM) records, census documents and other records used in Sabah for decades.
“Their parents entered with immigration permission and were given documents by the state government.
“The problem started when the inheritance of documents to the new generation was frozen, resulting in their grandchildren having no identity despite being born in Malaysia,” he said.
Jerry said in 2021, MHO received complaints from stateless individuals who had been detained at immigration depots for years despite not committing any offences.
“They did not steal or take drugs, nor were they involved in any crime, but they were detained because of document issues,” Jerry said.
He said MHO is proposing that the government utilise the existing MyKas system instead of introducing a new document.
“The measure is more practical and can reduce administrative and registration costs.
“Instead of creating another card, it is better to use MyKas which already exists.
“Only the MyKas conditions need to be relaxed to make it more accessible,” he added.
Jerry said the current obstacle is that applicants must have parents without documents or whose identities cannot be identified.
He said many stateless individuals are not eligible for MyKas because their parents once held documents such as IMM13.
He added that applications are often rejected for the same reason.
Jerry said MHO is calling for the federal government to resolve the issue, adding that it would be difficult for the Sabah government alone to address it.
“If this issue is unresolved, this group will continue to live without access to education, legal employment and health care,” he added.
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