IT'S PARENTS' DUTY TO REGISTER BIRTHS
By Karen Wong
July 16, 2007
HOW could a child live in Singapore for six years without an
identity?
Madam Angela Goh, the Marsiling grassroots leader, said that this
was the first time that she has come across such a case.
'I was very surprised when I found out that the children did not
have birth certificates.'
When she told her fellow grassroots volunteers, they too were
surprised.
Mayor of the South West District, Dr Amy Khor, also told The New
Paper on Sunday that this is the first time she has heard of such a
case.
She said: 'I checked with South West Central Development Council
and they have also not come across such a case. I must say that
upon first reading of the case, I was somewhat surprised.
UNDERSTANDABLE
'But on further reading, and given the family background and the
mother being in jail as well as the fact that the current husband
is not their biological father, one can understand how this slip
came about.'
Much as the authorities can streamline their processes and send
reminders, the responsibility of registering a child's birth lies
ultimately with the parents and family members.
MP for Sembawang GRC (Marsiling), MrHawazi Daipi, said that this
particular problem came about as the child's father's identity
could not be established.
In such cases, the family should seek assistance to register the
birth and have the birth certificate issued.
'They should seek their MP's assistance if they need help,' he
said.
'First and foremost, the responsibility lies with the parents and
the family, no matter what the circumstances of the pregnancy or
birth. They should not wait till the child has reached school-going
age before seeking assistance,' he added.
TIMELY REMINDER
Ms Ellen Lee, MP for Sembawang GRC (Woodlands), said: 'This is a
good reminder to would-be parents of their responsibility in
getting their children's births properly documented so that they do
not become stateless due to omission of an important identification
process after birth.'
She added that that it was the first time she and her grassroots
leaders have heard of such a case.
Ms Lee, who is also a lawyer, said: 'As stateless persons, they are
not entitled to any rights that citizens and permanent residents
enjoy, and this is grossly unfair to them.'
