MELAKA NRD RECEIVES 71 APPLICATIONS TO AMEND ETHNIC STATUS TO BABA NYONYA

MELAKA, Jan 20 (Bernama) -- The Melaka National Registration Department (NRD) has received 71 applications to amend ethnic status to Baba Nyonya in personal identification documents since Oct 1 last year, of which 22 have been approved, said its director Mohd Dzulkarnain Baharuddin.

He said Melaka was the first state to conduct the pilot project on amendments to ethnic status, in partnership with the Baba Nyonya Peranakan Association of Malaysia, to verify the validity of the applications.

Mohd Dzulkarnain said the applications for ethnic status amendments involved two personal identification documents, namely the birth certificate and identity card.

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“All applications involve the Baba Nyonya community in Melaka, and we expect the number of applications to increase over time, as starting this year, the Melaka NRD will also accept applications from outside the state following the extension of the amendment permission nationwide.

“So far, only 22 of the 71 applications have been approved, with the rest still under evaluation and documentation review prior to approval,” he told reporters after the Melaka NRD Monthly Assembly here today.

During the ceremony, Mohd Dzulkarnain presented the MyKad with updated ethnic status to Baba Nyonya Peranakan Association of Malaysia president Datuk Ronald Gan Yong Hoe.

Mohd Dzulkarnain explained that applicants seeking to amend their ethnic status to Baba Nyonya were required to submit several important documents, along with a letter of support from the Baba Nyonya Peranakan Association of Malaysia.

He said that applicants were also required to undergo a rigorous interview process before their applications were reviewed by the NRD Personal Information Amendment Panel Committee for approval.

Meanwhile, Gan said that efforts to obtain government approval for the amendments had been carried out for the past 13 years by the Baba Nyonya Peranakan Association of Malaysia, based in Tengkera here, making Melaka the pioneer state for its implementation.

He said that, as of yesterday, the association had issued more than 90 new letters of support for the amendment applications, involving members of the community from both within and outside Melaka.

He said the association was working with Baba Nyonya associations in other states to provide information on the amendment process and would issue letters of support to applicants with authentic Baba Nyonya lineage.

“We do not have exact data on the number of Baba and Nyonya communities in Malaysia, but so far, only 3,000 people have registered with our association, which is why it is important to recognise this sub-ethnic group in identification documents.

“The Baba Nyonya ethnic group has, up to now, been seen primarily as a tourism product, even though we represent a community with a unique identity, carrying the history, heritage and culture of the country since the formation of Tanah Melayu and Malaysia,” he said.

-- BERNAMA