I spent the last 3 days at a Unicef-sponsored media workshop on "All Rights for All Children" here in Kota Kinabalu. It was an eye-opening workshop, cause though I have written about child rights, or highlighted problems faced by children (both Malaysian and foreign), I didn't realise how important an identity document is.
When I was born, my parents registered my arrival within four days. When I turned 12, I received my "blue IC" as it was known then, and eventually a MyKad. I received my first passport before I became a teenager. I used my identity documents to get into school, university, to get a job, to open bank accounts, to get home and car loans. I never have to worry about my status as a Malaysian.
Now imagine if someone takes away your identity documents from you. Strips you away of this basic right? If it happened to me, I am sure my life would change. There is no way I will be able to travel even to Kuala Lumpur, or move about safely on the very soil where I was born. This is the situation for stateless people in Sabah, and worldwide.
In the case of Sabah, there are two categories of stateless people. Well, actually, I should not put them in "compartments" but just to give you a clear picture.
First, people who are born to parents who are genuinely from this country. There are indigenous people deep in our forests, and at far-flung islands, who remain stateless, simply because their births were never registered, or were registered very late. Under the Sabah Births and Deaths Registration Ordinance, when a child is born, he/she must be registered within 42 days. When a baby is registered after 42 days, a birth certificate will still be issued, but it comes with a stamp that states its a "late registration." This document cannot be used to apply for a MyKad, let alone a passport. It is for this reason, the mobile courts system was set up in Sabah and Sarawak about 2 years ago. Today, magistrates travel to remote areas to interview parents, and the community, to make sure that a child with such a document, or no document at all, was born at so-and-so place to so-and-so. The magistrate will validate this information and then, this stateless person can finally apply for a MyKad. It is a good move, and I am glad it is finally happening.
Second, are children of migrants who for economic and political reasons are here in Sabah. Some used to go to school, but a majority are now on the streets. Although Malaysia is a signatory to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), it has its reservations on several articles, including on non-discrimination. So though the CRC states that ALL children regardless of background have a right to attend school till the age of 12 years, stateless girls and boys are no longer allowed to do so. I remember speaking to a street kid 3 years ago. He had finished primary 5 and was excited about entering primary 6. On his first day, he was told to go home cause of a new directive that says children without documents cant attend school.
I felt so sad when I heard this boy's story, and that of his friends. I am all for education, and for basic rights. It is unfortunate that many of my fellow citizens feel strongly in a bad way about foreigners, and their children. Many say that they take away opportunities and grab jobs. Question: Are they grabbing government jobs, bank jobs, etc? They are doing what locals don't want to do -- toiling under the sun to construct buildings and roads, planting and harvesting oil palm, changing diapers and sweeping floors in our homes, washing dishes in restaurants. They do menial jobs.
But can I blame my fellow citizens? No.
Why? Cause the media here in Sabah pretty much shapes opinion. And what politicians say matters a lot. Last year, the Indonesian government opened a school in Kota Kinabalu to cater to Indonesian children in an effort to educate them and keep them off the streets. I was so disappointed when a prominent leader from a local party stated in newspapers here that it was wrong for us to allow Indonesians to open a school here. And that it is an erosion of "our rights." I dont think this politician knows the definition of rights. This is just one case in point. I wish politicians on both sides of the divide would stop using this issue of foreigners as a point to score in the hearts of voters.
Each time something "bad" happens, everyone is quick to point fingers at foreigners. It was interesting how a reporter remarked today at the workshop that foreigners do cause problems and that they had brutally raped an undergraduate last year. Some of us quickly corrected her. The girl was raped by local men, who have since been jailed for a very long time.
I am not defending foreigners, and I am not condemning locals. What I am saying is everyone is born equal. Some of us do okay, some don't. There are many circumstances that shape us.
Oh and one last thing -- I too am a descendent of a migrant. My late grandfather, Datuk G.S. Kler came to North Borneo as Sabah was known then in the 1920s with his uncle who was in the police force. "Babaji" as I fondly called him, returned to India to get married and brought his bride here. They had seven children, six of whom are still alive today. My father married my mum in India ... ya, so my mum is from India. Point behind this? We are all at some point migrants -- that has always been the way of the world, and will always be.
