Romeo (left) with his son, wife and their witnesses at the back.
TUARAN: Many factors contribute to late registration of birth certificates in Sabah, but cases in urban areas are mostly due to ignorance.
Urban Mobile Court operation officer Pitrus Lee, when asked about the situation, said it is understandable that cases in the interior were caused by finances or logistical issues.
However, districts with proper healthcare facility and National Registration Department (NRD) office like Tuaran should not be facing this issue.
“Tens of thousands of cases related to birth certification have been sorted out since the inception of mobile court services in Sabah in 2007.
“As of today, 66 locations were reached by this service and today we have 38 cases under Tuaran district,” said Pitrus, during the Urban Mobile Court Programme here, held at Astaka Padang.
“I personally hope cases in the urban areas can be reduced because facilities are available nearby. Parents cannot be ignorant when it comes to legal documentation, which will be affecting their children,” he said.
Next month, the Mobile Court Programme will be going to Kg Batu 65, Beaufort on April 10.
The Borneo Post also interviewed some of the parents on Saturday.
Ninah Akau Chong, a 38-year-old mother of eight put the blame on her husband for not registering their sixth child Richard Justin within the period required.
The law has stated that the birth (of a child) has to be registered (with the NRD) within 42 days.
However, Ninah who was having some movement difficulties after giving birth to her son was disappointed when her husband did not do the registration on time.
“I was so angry at my husband because we never did this to our other children. We registered Richard’s birth certificate on the second month after he was born. It was too late so his certificate is considered late.
“He is now 13 years old and we must do some legal things to allow us to make his MyKad. We filled up forms at the district office last year and today we were called to bring witnesses to complete the documentation.
“Since the NRD is not present here, we were told to wait for the court order within one month and bring it to the NRD office for further action. I am thankful for this service because it is very convenient,” she said.
Meanwhile, Romeo Cras Lee, 47, was in the peninsula when his son Randall Odrich was born 13 years ago.
“At that time, only parents were allowed to go to the NRD for the registration. We did not manage to register on time because I was working in the peninsula while my wife was not fit to move around after giving birth,” he said.
Their son did not have any issue all this while until he reached the age of 12 last year, upon which he is required get a MyKad and register for secondary school.
“I fill up the forms at the district office and today the court process was very systematic and professional,” he said.
Romeo was accompanied by his wife, Olivia Ediwin, from Kg Togop Tamparuli.
Meilin Masayu, 33, from Kg Perumahan Laya-Laya also had the same issue with her 13-year-old son Maxwell Junior who was registered late.
“I am a single mother, so I don’t have anyone helping me with the birth certificate registration after giving birth at Sabah Women and Children Hospital in Likas,” she said.
Meilin, who is having difficulty in doing her son’s MyKad appreciated the Mobile Court services for making the documentation process easier.
“At least now, my son will be able to sit for examinations without going through many other documentation process in the future.
“I hope more parents will learn from our mistakes and register their child’s birth as soon as possible to avoid problems in the future,” she said.
The programme yesterday was co-organised by the Kota Kinabalu Mobile Court and Tuaran District Office.
It was attended by officers from the Kota Kinabalu Court.
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