SEVEN SIBLINGS FINALLY ABLE TO CHART FUTURE AFTER RECEIVING IDENTITY CARDS

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 2 (Bernama) -- Seven siblings from Kampung Tanjung Sungai Choh are finally able to live normal lives after they received their identification cards today, which they personally received from National Registration director-general Datuk Badrul Hisham Alias.

Ahmad Shahmil Ismail, 30; Muhammad Fazril Ismail, 29; Nur Hakimah Ismail, 26; Nur Hakikah Ismail, 24; Nur Laila Ismail, 22; Nur Shakila Ismail, 19; and Zakaria Ismail, 17, have been without any official birth certificates and identification cards as their parents failed to register their wedding and their children’s births officially.

The lack of documentation led to all seven siblings growing up without any formal education, proper jobs and the basic freedoms enjoyed by their fellow Malaysians, the fourth sibling Nur Hakikah said.

She said they made do by learning informally on their own, by watching television and listening to people’s conversations as well as learning the alphabet and how to write in stages.

“We had no schooling. We learned bit by bit. We promised ourselves, we would keep learning even if we couldn’t go to school.

“Life certainly wasn’t normal. We felt restricted going anywhere as we didn’t have any identification cards,” she said after receiving her identification card in Bandar Sungai Buaya, Rawang, today.

Their problems did not end with a lack of formal education, as not possessing identification documents means they had limited job opportunities as most employers refused to hire them, causing them to rely solely on part-time jobs without any social security protection as they were unable to contribute to any official schemes.

“People would say, whose children are these, why aren’t they in school but we slowly managed to get used to the teasing and humiliation that became part of our lives,” she said as she recalled the anxiety they suffered and the stigma they faced.

Her sister, Nur Shakila, 19, described the identification card she received today as a ray of hope for her to secure an education and change her future.

“I really do want to get an education. Even without a schooling background, I’m confident it’s not too late for me to change my future,” she said.

Meanwhile, Badrul Hisham explained the late registrations were due to the unregistered marriage of the siblings’ parents that became even more complicated when their father died in 2023.

He shared that the siblings received approval for Late Birth Certificate Registration on Dec 8, followed by Late Identification Card Registration on Dec 23, following an investigation and comfirmation of relations through Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) samples to their nearest relatives, such as their uncle.

He also stressed that claims that individuals would be arrested if they showed up at the National Registration Department to register their weddings, including weddings or births at borders were untrue and was not under the jurisdiction of the department.

-- BERNAMA