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Saifuddin said the figure was from a total of 13,224 applications collected by the task force since July 2023, while the remaining 715 applications are still being processed. – Bernama photo
KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 21): The Home Ministry (KDN) has made decisions on 12,509 applications for personal identification documents from residents in the interior of Sarawak, through the Special Task Force (PPK).
Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the figure was from a total of 13,224 applications collected by the task force since July 2023, while the remaining 715 applications are still being processed.
He noted that although Malaysia is a developed country, some residents still do not possess birth certificates or MyKad, which hinders access to education and healthcare.
“Officers do not wait at the office. They go to the longhouses and seek out people without documents.
“If this happens, life becomes difficult. It is hard to attend school, and if someone falls ill, hospital expenses are high,” he said during a question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat today.
He was replying to a question from Datuk Ali Biju (PN-Saratok) on the latest status of document issuance for stateless individuals in Sarawak’s interior, and whether the process had been simplified in view of the state’s challenging geography.
Saifuddin Nasution explained that the task force is fully placed under the Sarawak Premier’s Department, with support from the Home Ministry through the National Registration Department (JPN) under the Menyemai Kasih Rakyat (MEKAR) initiative.
He said that under existing regulations, births must be registered within 40 days in Sarawak and Sabah, and within 60 days in Peninsular Malaysia, but the state’s geography has prevented many residents in the interior from meeting this requirement.
In this regard, he emphasised that applications handled by the special task force are no longer constrained by the usual bureaucratic procedures.
“Under the standard bureaucracy, those without documents had to bring their children to the office, where officers would wait. Under the new procedure, we go directly to them,” he said.
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