Sabah National Registration Department (JPN) director Ismail Ahmad said that late birth registration applications would not end in Sabah and Sarawak with the creation of the Late Birth Registration Panel.

In a statement, he said Sabah JPN would continue to adhere to state laws to resolve late birth registration issues and applications could still be made at all JPN offices in the state.

Ismail said the new SOP would also not affect the mobile court that had benefited many Sabahans.

He said the changes were meant to improve services and would not burden those in the rural areas who found it difficult to travel to JPN offices.

Aside from resolving disputes, the Sabah mobile court provides endorsements of late birth registration papers.

A magistrate’s endorsement of late birth registration applications is in line with Section 22(3) of the state’s Registration of Births and Deaths Ordinance 1966 that empowers a magistrate to certify late registrations after a reasonable inquiry.

Sabah political activist Edward Doudolim had expressed concern that the mobile court programme would become redundant if the late birth registration exercise was ended by Putrajaya.

Home Minister Muhyiddin Yassin had said the move to stop late birth registrations at state JPN offices was one of the measures recommended following reports of MyKads and birth certificates being illegally issued and sold to foreign nationals in Penang.