S’wak, Home Ministry hope to better facilitate citizenship applications through monthly meetings

Fatimah (fourth right) officiating the opening of the new centre of Destiny for Children in Sibu on Aug 4, 2024.

By William Isau

SIBU, Aug 4: Through monthly meetings with the Home Ministry, the Sarawak government hopes it will lead to better facilitation and shorter processing times for citizenship applications from undocumented persons in the State.

Minister of Women, Childhood, and Community Well-being Development Sarawak, Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah, said that she paid a courtesy call to Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail on July 29 in Kuala Lumpur.

“He agreed (to form) a verification committee to facilitate the application for documents and consented to have a special committee meeting in Kuching on August 16,” she said after officiating the new centre of Destiny for Children today.

She added that with the monthly meetings, applicants would be better advised on the relevant documents that they need before sending their citizenship applications.

“This way, we can help the applicants verify their application and advise them on the relevant documents that they would need to support their application.

“It will shorten the time to process their citizenship applications,” she said.

Fatimah, who is also the co-chairperson of the special committee, said they would screen applications every month.

She said that the number of applications that would be deliberated at the first meeting was with the National Registration Department (NRD).

“I don’t have the numbers now as they are with the NRD. We will only know during the first meeting,” she said. — DayakDaily