TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.
INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 3
1.1
Defining Stateless Person........................................................................................................ 4
1.2
2.
CIVIL DOCUMENTATION AND REGISTRATION IN MALAYSIA ....................................... 6
2.1
Identity Card ........................................................................................................................... 6
2.2
3.
Historical Background of Citizenship Development in Malaysia ........................................... 5
Birth Certificate ...................................................................................................................... 7
CATEGORIES OF STATELESSNESS IN MALAYSIA .............................................................. 9
3.1
Persons who arrived or born before Independence (31 August 1957) or Malaysia Day (16th
September 1963) ............................................................................................................................... 10
3.2
Persons rendered stateless by gender unequal provisions in Nationality Law ...................... 11
3.2.1 Children born out of Legal Wedlock to Malaysian Father................................................... 11
3.2.2 Children born to Malaysian women overseas ...................................................................... 12
3.3
Abandoned children and foundlings ..................................................................................... 13
3.4
Stateless Adopted Children .................................................................................................. 13
3.5
Mobile and Semi Nomadic Sama Bajau ............................................................................... 14
3.6
At High Risk of Becoming Stateless..................................................................................... 15
3.6.1 Indigenous (Orang Asli/Asal) .............................................................................................. 15
3.6.2 Multigenerational Migrants and Refugees .......................................................................... 15
4. SAFEGUARD AGAINTS STATELESSNESS & GAPS IN ADMINISTRATIVE
PROCEDURES OF AUTHORISING AGENCIES ............................................................................. 16
4.1
Long Processing Period for citizenship application .............................................................. 16
4.2
No Reasons for Rejections .................................................................................................... 17
4.3
Guidance on Good Character Requirements ......................................................................... 17
4.4
No Standard Approach to Assess Language Proficiency ...................................................... 18
4.5
Inconsistent Procedures at District and State level NRD ...................................................... 18
4.6
Long Search and Extraction (S&E) processes ...................................................................... 18
4.7
Issuance of Forms at NRD .................................................................................................... 19
4.8
DNA Testing ......................................................................................................................... 19
5. RESOLVING STATELESSNESS IN MALAYSIA: DHRRA’S EXPERIENCE ........................... 20
5.1
Registration and Legal Aid Model ........................................................................................ 20
5.2
The Community Based Paralegal Model .............................................................................. 21
5.3
Database ................................................................................................................................ 22
5.4
Strategic Litigation................................................................................................................ 22
5.5
Advocacy and awareness ...................................................................................................... 23
6. PROGRESS TOWARDS ADDRESSING STATELESSNESS IN MALAYSIA ........................ 24
BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................................................................. 27
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