Govt to ensure those eligible in Sarawak obtain IC and birth cert

KUCHING: The Home Ministry (KDN) is working hard to ensure that there are no longer any eligible residents in Sarawak who face problems in getting the identity card or birth certificate.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said he had directed Deputy Home Minister, Masir Kujat and the Director of the Sarawak National Registration Department, Jazni Jubli to tackle the problem before Dec 1.
He said the KDN was serious in tackling the problem, especially in Sarawak as the problem had been going on for some time, to the extent that there were residents born in Sarawak who could not continue their studies or apply for jobs.
"I also directed the Deputy Minister (Masir) and Director of the National Registration Department to continue to work hard to resolve the problem even after Dec 1, because we (KDN) are targeting that the problem can be totally solved at the latest by September next year," he said.
Zahid, who is also the Home Minister, disclosed this at a media conference after visiting the Sarawak Contingent Police Headquarters, here today before concluding his working visit to Sarawak this afternoon.
Ahmad Zahid said that during the working visit today, he had also met with the Sarawak Minister for Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Child Development Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah who has been given the responsibility by Sarawak Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Dr Abang Johari Tun Openg to tackle the problems of the ownership of identity cards and birth certificates among Sarawak residents.
In this context, he said, a special task force was set up by the National Registration Department besides the task force set up by the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Joseph Entulu Belaun, to ensure that all residents in the interior areas especially among the Iban and Penan ethnic groups could own the identity card and birth certificate without any problem.
Referring to Masir, he said that he saw the Deputy Home Minister as being very committed to resolving the issues pertaining to the ownership of the identity card and birth certificate which were frequently raised at every top-level meeting of the Home Ministry.
Ahmad Zahid said the appointment of Fatimah to tackle problems on the issue had also shown the determination and strong commitment of the Chief Minister in resolving the citizenship problem of Sarawak residents. — Bernama