Policy for refugee and stateless persons in Malaysia: An Overview Malaysia has yet to ratify the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol. As for stateless persons, Malaysia is not a state party to the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons or the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness19. The 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons ensures that stateless individuals are guaranteed minimum standards of treatment regarding a number of fundamental rights. These include, but are not limited to, the right to housing, public assistance, employment, and education. An important provision of the 1954 Convention is that stateless people have a right to identification, and travel documents. The 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness creates measures to prevent statelessness at birth and later in life and a global framework to guarantee every person's right to nationality20. The exact number of stateless persons in Malaysia is unknown, as there are no official statistics. Hence, this makes it difficult to measure the scope and impact of statelessness in the country. However, in 2016 the former Home Minister of Malaysia, Dato’ Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, estimated 290,000 stateless children in the country’21. Stateless persons are often treated as foreigners and face many changes in accessing basic human rights services, similar to refugees. Furthermore, the Immigration Act 1959/6322 makes no distinction between refugees, asylum-seekers, stateless persons and undocumented migrants. As a result, no legal or administrative framework is in place to safeguard stateless persons, refugees and asylum seekers within Malaysian territory, depriving them of access to fundamental freedoms including freedom of movement, access to legal employment, formal education and affordable healthcare. Refugee and stateless children encounter significant hurdles in accessing formal education in Malaysia, including legal barriers. Notably, the government circular that regulates the admission of both undocumented children with one Malaysian parent and non-Malaysian children to national schools (Surat Pekeliling Ikhtisas No 1/200923 and Surat Siaran Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia Bil (3) Tahun 201824) do not apply to refugee and asylum-seeking children. Article 12(1) of the Federal Constitution states that without prejudice to the generality of Article 825 (all persons are equal before the law and entitled to the law’s equal protection), there should be no discrimination against any citizen on the grounds only of religion, race, descent or place of birth which is: a) in the administration of any educational institution maintained by a public authority, and the admission of pupils or students or the payment of fees; or b) in providing out of the funds of a public authority financial aid for pupils or students’ maintenance or education in any educational institution (whether maintained by a public authority and whether within or outside the Federation).26 19 UNHCR submission on Malaysia 17th UPR session. (n.d.). Refworld. Retrieved May 28, 2023, from https://www.refworld.org/pdfid/513d9a0e2.pdf 20 ibid 21 Nortajuddin, A. (2020, March 27). Malaysia's stateless children. The ASEAN Post. https://theaseanpost.com/article/malaysias-stateless-children 22 https://www.imi.gov.my/index.php/pekeliling/immigration-act-1959-63-act-155/ 23 The ‘Surat Pekeliling Ikhtisas: Bil: 1/2009: Kemasukan Kanak-Kanak Warganegara Malaysia Tanpa Dokumen Ke Sekolah’ dated 11 March 2009, issued by the Office of Director-General of Education Malaysia stated that acceptance of undocumented individuals can be admitted to the government or government - aided schools provided that 1) either one of the child’s parent is a Malaysian citizen, and 2) there is a confirmation letter issued by the Village Chief to certify that the child is indeed a Malaysian citizen. See Office of Director-General of Education Malaysia, ‘Surat Pekeliling Ikhtisas: Bil: 1/2009: Kemasukan Kanak-Kanak Warganegara Malaysia Tanpa Dokumen Ke Sekolah’, KP(BS-DSR)201/002/1 Jld.2(1), 11 March 2009. Surat Pekeliling lkhtisas Bil:1/2009 bertarikh 11 Mac 2009 (Kemasukan Kanak-Kanak Warganegara Malaysia Tanpa Dokumen Ke Sekolah) merupakan pekeliling yang dikeluarkan oleh Pejabat Ketua Pengarah Pendidikan Malaysia. Pekeliling ini mengeluarkan arahan bahawa mana-mana kanak-kanak yang tidak memiliki dokumen yang sah boleh didaftarkan sebagai murid di sekolah kerajaan dan sekolah bantuan tertakluk kepada : 1) salah seorang daripada ibu bapa kanak-kanak tersebut ialah warganegara Malaysia, dan 2) terdapat surat pengesahan daripada Ketua Kampung yang mengesahkan bahawa kanak-kanak tersebut ialah seorang warganegara Malaysia. Lihat Pejabat Ketua Pengarah Pendidikan Malaysia, ‘Surat Pekeliling Ikhtisas: Bil: 1/2009: Kemasukan Kanak-Kanak Warganegara Malaysia Tanpa Dokumen Ke Sekolah’, KP(BS-DSR)201/002/1 Jld.2(1), 11 March 2009. 24 This circular applies to a non-citizen child adopted by Malaysian citizens or child of a Malaysian father and a non-Malaysian mother born out of wedlock, or a non-citizen child whose parents are also non-citizens given that the parents are either foreign embassy staff, working at a government agency with valid work permit, permanent residents in Malaysia or foreign children sent to continue education in Malaysia as part of a government exchange. See Jabatan Pendidikan Negeri, Negeri Sembilan Darul Khusus, Ministry of Education Malaysia, ‘Surat Siaran Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia Bilangan 3 Tahun 2018: Permohonan Kemasukan Sekolah Murid Bukan Warganegara’, JPNS. SPS.PP.600-8 Jld.9(15), [29 January 2018]. Available at: siaran-kpm-bil-3-2018permohonan-kemasukan-sekolah-murid-bukan-warganegara.pdf Surat siaran ini terpakai kepada kanak-kanak bukan warganegara yang telah diambil oleh warganegara Malaysia sebagai anak angkat, atau kanak-kanak bukan warganegara hasil perkahwinan tidak mengikut undang-undang Malaysia di mana bapa ialah seorang warganegara dan ibunya bukan warganegara, atau kanak-kanak bukan warganegara yang ibu bapanya juga bukan warganegara, dengan syarat bahawa ibu bapa ialah warga asing yang merupakan kakitangan di kedutaan asing, bekerja di agensi kerajaan dengan permit kerja yang sah, pemastautin tetap Malaysia, atau kanak-kanak dari luar negara yang dihantar untuk meneruskan pendidikan di Malaysia sebagai sebahagian daripada pertukaran antara kerajaan. Rujuk Jabatan Pendidikan Negeri, Negeri Sembilan Darul Khusus, Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia, ‘Surat Siaran Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia Bilangan 3 Tahun 2018: Permohonan Kemasukan Sekolah Murid Bukan Warganegara’, JPNS. SPS.PP.600-8 Jld.9(15), [29 Januari 2018]. Diambil dari: siaran-kpm-bil-3-2018- permohonan-kemasukan-sekolah-murid-bukan-warganegara.pdf 25 Article 8 of Federal Constitution 26 Article 12 of Federal Constitution 6