Datuk Gerawat Gala
MIRI: One step forward for Putrajaya, two steps backward for underprivileged Sarawakians was how Datuk Gerawat Gala described the decision of the National Registration Department (NRD) on late birth registration and DNA database.
The deputy State Legislative Assembly Speaker said the proposal by the Minister of Home Affairs Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yasin would only cause inconvenience and hardship for the rural people since they are now required to go the NRD office in town and not the mobile units as previously.
“Not many rural people will come to NRD office for obvious logistical and financial reasons, and the new policy proposed by the minister shows how little regard the minister has for our rural communities in Sarawak,” he bemoaned.
Gerawat, a Kelabit from Bario and Mulu assemblyman, said the policy will compound instead of solving the problems of remote rural communities in Sarawak.
“The government should reach out to the rakyat rather than ask the rakyat to reach out to the government,” he asserted.
His view is shared by the assemblyman of the neighbouring constituency Telang Usan, Dennis Ngau, who said the federal government failed to seek feedback from stakeholders in Sarawak through dialogue before coming up with such policy or decision.
Dennis (second right) assists an applicant for late birth registration at the NRD mobile operation in Apau Nyaring Ulu, Tinjar.
He said his experience in dealing with late applications for birth registration by underprivileged Penans together with Miri-based NRD Mobile Registration Unit in his constituency showed that an overwhelming 99 per cent were bona fide applicants who were either too poor or ignorant to register their children earlier.
With the new policy, Dennis estimated it could cost RM5,000 to RM10,000 for a late applicant to get the birth certificate as he had to foot the expenses to bring along a community leader, village chief, a guarantor and other family members who need to be around during the application, excluding other expenses.
He suggested that the Home Ministry give a grace period up to 2025 before implementing whatever system they deem fit and allow the mobile unit to continue with its tasks.
On the other hand, he hoped the Sarawak government would make birth registration and application for identity card a part of the demand for the return of Sarawak’s autonomy.
On the DNA database proposal, Gerawat said the root cause of the problem was the lack of integrity of the NRD officers who issued false or forged ICs and passports, which should be the focus of the minister.
“Inculcating the culture of integrity, ethical conduct and diligence among NRD staff and the civil service as a whole is of critical importance as the long term and most effective approach rather than invest in technology or processes which may be costly and difficult to implement and may even not achieve the desired result,” he pointed out.
He said whatever modern or sophisticated security measures used could still be manipulated and exploited by dishonest and corrupt NRD officers.
Former Miri mayor and senior lawyer Lawrence Lai Yew Soon agrees, saying the federal government’s decision to take over late birth registration from the state and the proposed DNA registration of new births showed it was out of touch with the difficulties faced by poor natives in Sarawak.
“They should be thinking of helping and make it easier for the people instead of making it more difficult,” he pointed out.
He wondered whether DNA protection measure would be effective when people did not even have birth certificate and identity card, saying it is impractical to implement and a waste of taxpayers’ money which should be used to make it easier for rural folk to register the birth of their children and for improvement of transportation infrastructure in the state.
Muhyiddin earlier this week announced that NRD had proposed the setting up of a DNA data bank with the details entered into the birth certificate to curb leakages in the long term.
In a statement yesterday, the NRD clarified that application for late birth registration can still be made at any nearby NRD branch while the approval will be done by NRD director-general instead of at state level previously.