KUALA LUMPUR – Many stateless individuals are unaware of their status, and even when they are, few know the steps to claim citizenship that could change their lives.
As Malaysia chairs the Asean 2025 summit this year, the plight of the stateless is again under scrutiny. This was a key theme at the "Empowering Stateless Voices: Policy Innovations and Best Practices for Legal Documentation" forum held at Wisma MCA, Kuala Lumpur.
The issue remains deeply relevant in Malaysia, particularly in Sabah and Sarawak, regions that have long grappled with complex cases of undocumented and stateless individuals. Many are born and raised in the country yet remain excluded from legal recognition.
Elvis Walemba, a human rights activist with Adventist Development and Relief Agency (Adra) Thailand, cautioned that without urgent investment in grassroots education and bureaucratic literacy, stateless populations will remain trapped in legal invisibility.
"Statelessness presents significant challenges, particularly in terms of literacy and awareness. Many stateless individuals are unaware of their status. They do not realise they are stateless, and even if they do, they often lack knowledge about the processes required to obtain citizenship.
"This is where grassroots organisations and civil society play a crucial role, providing essential literacy to stateless communities about their rights and pathways to citizenship,” he said.
The challenge extends beyond these communities. A significant literacy gap also exists within government institutions.
According to Walemba, government literacy is just as crucial. While laws may be in place, officials frequently lack the knowledge or clarity needed to effectively enforce them.
He urged those in good standing within the government to use their influence and available platforms to advocate for change and raise awareness internally.
"The approach to resolving statelessness varies by district. In one area of Thailand, for example, efforts focused on registering stateless children under 18 so they could attend school. Education offers a pathway to citizenship, but to progress to university, students often face barriers related to documentation and movement restrictions.
"To overcome this, collaboration with district officials allowed for express permission to travel and partnerships with universities enabled them to accept students without complete documentation. Such efforts require coordination across various actors and sectors.
"Everyone involved must support each other. If one path is blocked, another may already be open. We must communicate, build on existing successes, and work collaboratively to open doors that remain shut for the stateless," he added.
Walemba stressed the need to allocate resources strategically, suggesting that areas showing clear progress should receive greater focus and support.
He also pointed out that achievements in one location can act as a springboard for driving positive change elsewhere.
"Limited resources and time mean we must be strategic. Invest energy where momentum exists rather than in places resistant to progress. Gradual, targeted success can lead to broader impact over time.
"Scaling up these efforts, both within civil society and government structures, is not only necessary but urgent.
"Advocacy should align with governmental interests, using shared frameworks like the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to demonstrate how ignoring stateless populations harms economic growth and social development.”
"Stateless individuals remain unrecognised contributors to society, and underscoring their exclusion can help push their inclusion onto national agendas. Scaling up, therefore, is not only about organisational growth. It is about building a collective voice, forming alliances, and working together with government bodies to bring systemic change,” he said.