“The problems are what we need to look into,” said Suaram executive director Sevan Doraisamy. “It would be good if the NRD (national registration department) could develop a better system to facilitate the registration of births.”

He said that delays in registration could be due to many factors and the ministry should ascertain what these were so that it could come up with practical solutions instead of resorting to draconian punishment.

He spoke particularly of problems faced by people living in remote plantations.

“The distance needed to travel from the estates to the registration offices has been said to be a problem,” he said, adding that the lack of proper documents and knowledge of the necessary procedures also caused difficulties.

“The NRD has to come up with smart solutions, like increasing its facilities. It could, for instance, decide to have mobile registration offices.”

Deputy Home Minister Nur Jazlan Mohamed recently said the two months given to register the birth of a child was more than adequate, especially in Peninsular Malaysia, where many avenues had been provided for the purpose.

He said the imposition of a RM1,000 fine was only one of the proposed measures being studied.

He also said it was important to register births within the prescribed period because late registration would complicate the process of immunisation and vaccination for babies.

Klang MP Charles Santiago said the RM1,000 fine was too high, adding that it could make the situation worse because people who miss the deadline and are too poor to pay might postpone the registration further.

He said people could have “any reason” for missing the deadline. “It could be that the child is born out of wedlock, or due to rape, for example.”

He urged the government to improve the registration system and suggested it allow for automatic registration.

“It is better if the authorities work with private and government hospitals to expedite the process. Make the hospital responsible for making a report as soon as a child is born.”

Tenaganita director Aegile Fernandez also spoke on the issue. She urged parents to take responsibility for the registration of their children, saying this was for the sake of their future.

“It’s the children who will suffer at the end of the day as they won’t have identity cards,” she said.

She suggested that the fine be reduced to RM500 for the initial 60-day delay and increased to RM1,000 after that.