(Sibu, 4th) Sarawak DAP Political Education Director Lawyer Cheng Ai Ling raised the issue in 2021 concerning abandoned children born in Sarawak, legally adopted, and subsequently granted Malaysian citizenship, with the inclusion of the 'K' mark in their ID cards. More than three years have passed, and this issue remains unresolved.
Cheng Ai Ling holds a letter from the Sarawak National Registration Department, which rejected the application for one of the children's ID with 'K' mark in 2023, whom she assisted in obtaining citizenship.
She stated that the child was born in Sibu, with a father from Sarawak and a foreign mother. The parents married after the child's birth, necessitating an application for the child's citizenship. Both biological parents' details have been registered on the child's birth certificate. The father's status as a 'K' mark ID holder is also clearly reflected in the birth certificate.
What confuses Cheng Ai Ling is that despite this, the Sarawak National Registration Department, following the Sarawak Immigration Department's advice or confirmation, still refused the 'K' mark application. According to Section 4 of the Legitimacy Act 1961, the child gains legitimacy from the date of the parents' marriage.
“Therefore, the Sarawak government should consider the child as a Sarawakian due to the father's Sarawakian status. The child's parents and other children born after the marriage are now residing in Sibu.”
As she understands, even though the Sarawak government promised to resolve this ID 'K' mark issue, and it is said that the Sarawak Cabinet recently approved allowing the Sarawak National Registration Department to mark 'K' on the ID cards of children successfully adopted by Sarawakian parents, as far as she knows, the relevant government department has not yet received any circulars or standard operating procedures (SOP) regarding 'K' mark applications.
“The procedures and requirements for applying the 'K' mark on IDs remain vague and uncertain. Meanwhile, applications for these 'K' marks continue to be rejected.”
In view of this, Cheng Ai Ling urges the Sarawak government to investigate this matter promptly, as despite these children (some of whom are now adults) being granted Malaysian citizenship, they still cannot find employment in Sarawak without first obtaining a work permit.
She said that although these individuals were born and raised in Sarawak, the Sarawak government has not even given them a chance to contribute to our Sarawak's economy.
In fact, Cheng Ai Ling knows that some of these people have gone to Singapore and Peninsular Malaysia for employment. Many others are still in a predicament, having to face the harsh reality that even though they consider themselves native Sarawakians, the Sarawak state government fails or refuses to recognize them as native Sarawakians.