KUCHING: Personal encounters with stateless individuals and the problems they face prompted independent candidate Agnes Padan to highlight citizenship issues as her main campaign message in the Sarawak state election.

       Agnes, who is contesting in Ba’Kelalan, said she was moved by the plight of stateless mothers and children who lacked access to free government education and healthcare facilities.

       “This is a serious issue among the Lun Bawang community in Ba’Kelalan and has been going on for far too long.

       “It affects the families to the next generation. That’s why I’m serious about this issue,” she told The Star.Ba’Kelalan, a remote constituency in the northern highlands of Sarawak, has 8,503 registered voters, mostly from the Lun Bawang ethnic group.

       Agnes, 42, said she recently tried to help a stateless 60-year-old mother from a village in Ba’Kelalan who had been suffering since 2017 from a lump in her breast but could not afford to go for a check-up.

       “I took her to the Lawas Hospital and later arranged for her to go for further checks and a scan at Miri Hospital and Limbang Hospital.

       “Early this month, the doctor contacted me and said she has stage four breast cancer.

       “This issue regarding citizenship is very upsetting because people like her are struggling in silence,” she said.

       Agnes pledged to address citizenship issues, should she be elected, saying she knew at least 150 people in Ba’Kelalan who were stateless.

       “This is something I want to fight for. These people were born in Sarawak and should not be denied their right to citizenship,” she said.

       Agnes, who is the first Lun Bawang woman candidate in Ba’Kelalan, also pledged to empower women through micro credit schemes in her manifesto.

       “As a mother, I can empathise with low-income families. I want to empower women and mothers in the villages by giving them the opportunity to support their families and improve their income,” she said.

       Agnes is in a five-way contest with Ba’Kelalan incumbent Baru Bian from Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB), Sam Laya from Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), PKR’s Martin Labo and Peter Asut from Parti Bumi Kenyalang (PBK) in the Dec 18 polls.