Itsbat ceremony held at the Indonesian consulate in Kota Kinabalu yesterday.
KOTA KINABALU: Registration of marriage is important and necessary nowadays in most countries of the world, but for Indonesian couples who marry in Sabah, it has been quite a hassle until the introduction of the annual Itsbat (marriage confirmation) ceremony by the Republic last year.
Bapak Tata Satuyuga
Soepeno Sahid
Zulkifli Awaludin, 25, and his wife, Fitriyani Ali,19, were among 295 couples who registered their marriage at the Indonesian consulate here yesterday. Both expressed their happiness on getting confirmation of being legally married after a year following their ‘nikah ceremony’.
“We got married in Karamunting, Sandakan in September 2011 in a very simple ceremony without legal registration. We were fortunate to be able to get birth certification for our newborn baby, which would be very difficult without proper marriage certification.
“There was no way we could legally register our marriage in Malaysia, unless we return to our hometown, which requires us to spend a lot of money to do. It is therefore fortunate for us that the Indonesian Consulate General introduced the annual Itsbat ceremony,” said Zulkifli, who is originally from Donggala, Central Sulawesi Province in Indonesia.
Zulkifli, who met his love partner, Fitriyani, at the factory where they work, were informed by their employer about the Itsbat ceremony. He said the marriage confirmation would give them a lot of advantages, especially in applying for a passport for their children in the future.
Zulkifli (right) and his wife Fitriyani.
Newly registered couple, Nasikhudin and Nyami (right).
Fitriyani, who was born in Gua Mampu of Desa Cabbeng in Southern Sulawesi, said marrying her husband in front of a Kadi (solemnizer) is already enough under the Islamic practice, but the registration must be done at the Indonesian Islamic Department to ensure the marriage is legal.
“This Itsbat ceremony is very important for us because when we return to Indonesia later, our children will be able to get proper education and easy for them to inherit properties from us,” she added.
The Itsbat ceremony organized by the consulate office here, began yesterday until December 20, where the Islamic Chief Justice of Central Jakarta, Bapak Tata Sutayuga, conducted the ceremony.
The Indonesian Consul-General in Kota Kinabalu, Soepeno Sahid, informed reporters that about 90 percent of Indonesian married couples in Sabah are not registered under the Indonesian Islamic Department and Civil Department Office.
Under Indonesian law, Muslim couples must register their marriage with the Indonesian Islamic Department while non-Muslims must register with the Civil Department Office to ensure their rights under any legal procedure, especially in the processing of legal documents for their children.
“This Itsbat ceremony is an initiative by the Indonesian government to legalise the marriage, to ensure the next generation of Indonesian children born in Sabah will have the rights to education, legal Indonesian passport and also to inherit properties from their parents.
“Last year, we registered nearly 400 couples, who were introduced by their employers, while some came individually to the consulate office. Those couples who are interested to join next year’s Itsbat ceremony can come or contact us in the consulate office for further information,” he said.
The fee for the Itsbat ceremony is RP116,000 or about RM40, and the couple must have two persons to witness the marriage confirmation in front of the Chief Justice.
Another couple, Nasikhudin Samsudin, 34, and Nyami Paikim, 40, who came all the way from Sandakan yesterday, shared their joy after completing their ‘question and answer’ session with the Chief Justice.
“We were asked when we got married in Sabah, who witnessed the nikah ceremony and how much was the Mahar (dowry). After answering all the questions, our marriage was confirmed (legalised) and we would get a copy of the original certificate, which the consulate would present to us after everything has been settled in Jakarta.
“A marriage certificate is an important document and everyone must obtain such certificate to avoid complications and legal hassles as it can be very complicated when it comes to putting the children in school,” said Nyami.
Meanwhile, Islamic Chief Justice, Bapak Tata Sutayuga told reporters that if there are any unregistered couples who come to the consulate office when the four-day Itsbat ceremony is in session, it would be their responsibility to register them. Any Indonesian couples who wish to legally register their marriage are welcome to come to the consulate office.
The Itsbat ceremony will only reject applications of marriage between siblings and polygamy that have not been agreed by all parties, while those who have registered but were unable to come can resubmit their application.