THE government has been asked to give more clarity to the application process for native status and also to lower the application fees to a reasonable sum.
The call came from Baru Bian (Ba Kelalan-PSB) who said contradictory statements have caused confusion among the native community.
“Recently, the Premier said that children with one native parent will automatically be granted native status, and that the requirement to apply for recognition is only for statistical purposes.
“However, the Deputy Minister in the Premier’s Office (Law, MA63 and State-Federal Relations) had said that “Any child born into inter-marriage between a Sarawak native and a non-native is not (automatically) native. He or she has to apply for it if they wish to be recognised as a Sarawak Native.
“Moreover, the Resident of Kuching had said that applications submitted at the District Office would be sent to the Department of the Premier of Sarawak for approval at monthly meetings chaired by the State Secretary before a certificate is issued to the applicant.
“These seemingly contradictory statements have caused confusion among the native community. Is recognition automatic or do the applications have to go through a vetting process? If it is automatic as the Premier said, it would be much simpler and more straightforward for the applications to be processed at the District Offices.”
Baru said it is unnecessary to have another layer to vet and approve, more so, at the Premier’s Office.
“Many Sarawakians have waited a long time for this, and we should not make it difficult for them now,” he said when debating the 2024 State Budget at the Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting, Wednesday (Nov 22).
Referring to the Interpretation (Definition of Native) Ordinance 1952 in Sabah, Baru said the Ordinance provides that those who satisfy the requirements to be recognised as natives must apply for the appropriate declaration made by a Native Court under Section 3 in the form of a Native Certificate or Sijil Anak Negeri.
“The Chief Minister’s office is not involved in such matters. Similarly in Sarawak, issuance of Native Status certificates need not be a function of the Premier’s Office. There should be just one stop at the District Office for such applications,” he said.
Baru said some parties are worried about abuse of the system, that if there is an absence of tight control, anyone might be able to obtain native status.
“However, I do not agree, as applicants have to fulfill certain criteria in order to qualify. They must have a parent who is a native. That should not be difficult to prove or disprove.
“The District Office can easily verify the native status of applicants from their birth certificates, and the marriage licences and birth certificates of their parents,” he added.
On the issue of application fee, he said it is an astronomical sum for many people and questioned why the applicants should be burdened with such amount of payment.
“Imagine a family of three or four children having to come up with the money just for the application fee. What if they are struggling to make ends meet? This fee would be the last thing they can afford,” he said.
Meanwhile, on issues concerning various applications namely Program Perumahan Rakyat Termiskin (PPRT), Bekalan Elektrik Luar Bandar (BELB) and e-Kasih, Baru said he had received complaints from applicants that they are all waiting for applications to be approved and called on the relevant Ministry to solve this matter.
