Unnecessary for Sarawakians to go to Putrajaya for late registration of births, says NRD

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Those in Sarawak who register the birth of the their children at a later date will no longer need to travel to Putrajaya. File Photo

KUCHING: Sarawakians do not have to travel to Putrajaya to belatedly register the birth of their children, the National Registration Department clarified after an activist in the state complained about the difficulties its new security measures caused the people.

The department explained in a report by the Malay Mail that it would continue to accept applications in the state, adding that the new security measures only involved a centralised approval panel chaired by its director-general and would not affect the public.

“The upgrade towards the late registration should not be worried (about) and applications are still accepted as usual. And we assure that it will not burden the public, especially those from the rural areas, who face logistics issues.

“The improvements on the SOP (standard operating procedure) on the late registration of birth certificates and identification cards is to ensure that the procedure is done transparently with integrity as well as to curb abuse of power,” the department said.

Activist Peter John Jaban had yesterday urged Home Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to not stop the state NRD from processing late birth applications in Sarawak.

He said the ministry’s move in response to the discovery of a syndicate selling MyKad and birth certificates to foreigners would exacerbate the issue of statelessness in Sarawak, especially for those residing in the remote areas.