By Malay Mail
KUCHING, May 9 — The proposed new law requiring children to care for their ageing parents must reflect the diverse realities across Malaysia, said State Minister of Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Sarawak Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah.
Commenting on the federal government’s consideration of the legislation announced by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, she said while Sarawak welcomed the intention, she also stressed that policy formulation must be comprehensive and sensitive to local contexts.
“So we hope it would be very holistic, very extensive, taking into account the Sarawak context as well: what it is like in longhouses, in villages, and in urban areas,” she said this at a press conference called after the Special Committee on Citizenship Status (JKKSK) Article 15A Sarawak Level No. 2/2026 monthly meeting at the National Registration Department (JPN) office here.
Fatimah said while the concept aligned with cultural and religious values, implementation must consider the varying capacities of families.
“When we come up with the policy later, we also need to look at the situation of the children who need to care for their parents, and what support systems need to be in place,” she said, adding that many elderly preferred to age at home, based on findings from Swinburne research.
She also noted that senior citizens remained among the largest groups applying for welfare assistance under the Welfare Department.
“It is stated that although they have children, their children often do not have stable incomes and have their own families to support.
“That is commonly mentioned.”
Fatimah also hoped Sarawak would be included in discussions on the proposed law to ensure regional perspectives are reflected in the final framework.
On citizenship matters, the state minister said applications under Article 15A involving illegitimate children continued to make up the highest number of cases in Sarawak, with Kuching recording the most submissions, at nine, through JPN Kuching.
It was informed that a total of 32 applications were tabled during yesterday’s meeting.
Fatimah said 21 applications involved illegitimate children; those born before their parents’ marriage was properly registered.
“The second category involves foster children with 10 cases, namely children cared for by individuals other than their biological parents, while the third category involves one adopted child application.”
Fatimah added that out of the 314 applications received under Article 15A between 2024 and May 8 this year, a total of 191 involved illegitimate children, while 98 were guardianship cases and 25 involved adopted children.
“From 2024 until May 8 this year, there have been 314 citizenship applications under Article 15A, and the majority fall under the illegitimate children category with 191 cases.”
She said the committee’s role was to facilitate and verify applications before recommending whether they should be supported, while reminding applicants to ensure all required documents are submitted.
“There are cases where birth certificates are not included, making the applications incomplete.
“We need applicants to complete the forms because we do not want their applications to be rejected,” she said.
Fatimah also stressed that all final decisions on citizenship applications remained under the jurisdiction of the Home Ministry, and would be subject to existing regulations and policies.
On approved applications, she said there were 141 applications between 2023 and 2024, with the applicants currently undergoing the process of obtaining citizenship certificates.
“The record shows that a total of 1,037 applicants successfully received their citizenship certificates between 2023 and April 2026,” she added. — The Borneo Post
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