Red birth certificates for foreigners’ children

Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun
Hussin





Source:The Borneo Post -by Ripin Mintow)

March 19,2011 Saturday
KOTA KINABALU: Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussin said that children of foreigners born in Malaysia would be issued with red birth certificates from July 1, this year.

He said the move aimed at stemming the long-standing migrant problem, particularly in Sabah, is to remind foreign parents
that holding a birth certificate does not automatically mean that their children are Malaysians.

Announcing this here yesterday, Hishammuddin said the nationwide initiative to be carried by the National Registration Department (NRD) would see the birth certificate format which is different from those issued to Malaysians.

“As a start, NRD will issue red birth certificates to children of foreigners,” he said, explaining that presently green birth certificates were issued
to both locals and foreigners; and a child’s nationality is determined based on the nationality of
the parents.
Datuk Seri Hishammudin

“Our aim is to inform the parents of foreign children early that they cannot assume that just because their children were born in the country, they could automatically consider their children as Malaysians.

“It is also aimed at clearing any confusion among the people about
the nationality of the children,” said Hishammuddin, who is in the state to witness Ops X Rampas KK, a rescue drill by special forces to free hostages in an aircraft at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA).

He said the move would also make it easier for all government agencies to easily identify the nationalities of the persons having dealings with them.

However, he said those foreign children already holding green birth certificates will remain but if they applied for an “extract of birth certificate” from any NRD office, they would get a red birth certificate copy.

He said for those children who were identified as foreigners at birth but later verified as Malaysians through verification process under the country’s laws, the red birth certificates would be changed to green with
an indicator on the certificate.

Hishammuddin said the suggestion for different coloured birth certificates was among 22 proposals suggested by the special lab on Sabah immigrants that was tabled at the fifth Cabinet Committee on Foreign Workers and Illegal Immigrants chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin on Thursday.

He said the 22 proposals were in addition to the 48 proposals and initiatives proposed by the special lab on foreign worker management held at the national level.

Hishammuddin said the implementation of the proposal from Sabah showed that the federal government was serious in tackling the long-standing problem of foreign migrants in Sabah.

“This issue is of great concern to the people of Sabah who want to see a comprehensive solution to the problem.

“Taking into account the complexity and seriousness of the issue in Sabah, apart from the complex geographical and demographic situation, it is best for the Sabah people to come out with their strategy to solve it,” he said, adding that was why a special lab for Sabah was set up.

The Federal Government, assured Hishammuddin, will give whatever assistance necessary to assist the people of the state to resolve the problem.

He said the special lab in Sabah involved 27 officers from state and federal agencies and their proposals were tabled and endorsed in the state cabinet on July 7, last year.

Most of the 22 proposals had been agreed and adopted in principle by the cabinet committee and would be tabled at the Cabinet meeting in the near future, he said.

However, steps were already being taken to implement various measures proposed by Sabah, he added.