LFL urges citizenship granted to four siblings

The NGO Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) is urging the government to issue citizenship to four siblings who are stateless, despite being born in Malaysia to a Malaysian father.

Aziq Fadyan, 24, Azreen Batrisya, 22, Azzahra Batrisya, 12, and Azalea Batrisya, nine, were denied citizenship, even though their parents were married before they were born.

Their father, Fadil Saharudin, who recently died, was a Malaysian and their mother is an Indonesian citizen.

They solemnised their marriage in Indonesia and Malaysia in 1998 before the children were born.

LFL adviser N Surendran said the siblings are entitled to Malaysian citizenship under Article 14(1)(b) and Part II Second Schedule, Section 1(a) and 1(e) of the Federal Constitution.

"Born and raised in Malaysia by a Malaysian father, they are citizens of no other country but Malaysia and they are entitled to Malaysian citizenship by virtue of Section 1(a) and 1(e)," he told reporters at LFL's office in Petaling Jaya today.

He said the siblings' citizenship applications have been rejected repeatedly on "silly" grounds, but when asked to elaborate, declined to provide further details.

Surendran also showed a photograph of their parents' wedding and a document showing the couple's marriage registration in Indonesia.

When asked if their parents had registered their marriage in Malaysia, Aziq said he was not sure.

Denied basic rights

Surendran said that because of their stateless status, all four have had difficulty accessing education and healthcare, while the older ones find it hard to gain employment.

"They cannot do the most basic things like opening a bank account or getting a driving licence or getting a proper job for a fair salary.

"Though they are faultless, the government has unreasonably and cruelly made them endure the terrible life that stateless persons are subjected to," he said.

As such, LFL urged the state to grant citizenship to the four siblings and urgently review thousands of similar cases involving stateless children.

LFL also urged the Education Ministry to allow Azzahra and Azalea to enrol in public schools.

Told to stop schooling

Meanwhile, Aziq and Azreen recalled how they were told by their secondary school that they had to stop schooling because they did not have identity cards.

"I was able to complete half a year of schooling in Form Five but after that, the school told me to stop until my documentation issue was resolved.

"My sister (Azreen) could only attend school up to Form Four. When she enrolled for Form Five, the teacher told her those who have documentation issues need not come to school (until that is resolved)," he said, adding that he had once harboured ambitions to be a computer programmer.

As such, neither Aziq nor Azreen could sit for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examinations, while Azzahra and Azalea are still not schooling today.

"I saw other individuals who have the same problems as me (who do not have ICs) were able to sit for their SPM or Sijil Tinggi Pelajaran Malaysia (STPM) but my sister and I were not allowed.

"From small, our mother advised us to study hard and so I continued studying at home, in hopes that I could return to school but was disappointed," he said, adding that he was targeting getting 9As in SPM the year he was told to stop schooling.

‘Politician promised to help’

Aziq now earns a living repairing telephones while Azreen works as a waitress because she cannot find employment elsewhere with her limited education qualifications. Their mother supports the family by selling cakes online.

"I hope my youngest sisters can resume school. I may not have had the chance, but they should at least have that chance. They're still young and should not endure what I have to now when they're older," he said.

Meanwhile, Azreen said she was so crestfallen after being told she could not continue schooling that she did not leave her room for almost a month.

"I was sad seeing my friends attend school. It took my mother almost a month to persuade me to leave my room.

"We also received offers from a politician who promised to help us but there has been no word until now," she said.

READ MORE: Baby snatching: How stateless mums lose their infants in Sabah hospital

Responding to Malaysiakini's query earlier this year on the issue of citizenship, the National Registration Department said a child born in Malaysia to married parents will be granted citizenship if at least one parent is Malaysian.

However, if the parents were not married when the child was born, the child will only be granted citizenship if their mother is Malaysian.

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