Details of adoptive parents to be included
Adopted children in Sarawak will have the names of their adoptive parents included in their birth certificate from next year onwards as part of the Sarawak government’s move to improve their well-being, the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) was told yesterday.
Minister of Welfare, Community Well Being, Women, Family and Childhood Development Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah said the state cabinet had decided to include details of adoptive parents and biological parents in the Second Schedule Extract from the Central Register Record of Birth Sarawak of the Adoption (Central Registry) Regulations 1960.
“As a caring government, the Sarawak Cabinet on July 11 had approved this amendment, which will take effect on Jan 1, 2020,” she said in her ministerial winding-up speech.
She told a press conference later that currently, birth certificates of adopted children in Sarawak only had the names of their biological parents.
“Back then, the names of adoptive parents are not included in the Second Schedule of Extract from the Central Register (Record of Birth) form in Sarawak unlike in Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah,” said Fatimah.
The matter was first brought up by Bukit Assek assemblywoman Irene Chang in the DUN sitting in July.
As a result, Fatimah said a roundtable meeting was convened with the relevant stakeholders, which Chang was also invited to attend, to discuss the proposal to include the names of adoptive and biological parents into the forms.
She pointed out that her ministry had also been receiving many similar requests and letters on the matter.
Subsequently, the decisions made in the roundtable meeting were submitted to the state cabinet meeting for consideration and approved on July 11.
“Adoption is a sensitive issue for both adopted children and adoptive parents. Because of that, we have to handle it very, very carefully,” she said.
Earlier during her windingup speech, Fatimah stated that her ministry had decided not to approve the proposal to raise the current adoption age limit from 18 to 21 years old.
“The cabinet on Aug 22 decided not to approve this proposal because Section 10 of the Adoption Ordinance (1958 Edition) (Cap. 91) provides the power to the state cabinet to make rules to regulate adult adoption, should the dat allow it.”
She said the decision was arrived collectively following discussions with the relevant government agencies and stakeholders.
On another matter, Fatimah said the period for birth registrations to be classified as late should be increased to more than 60 days after the date of birth, compared with the existing 42 days after birth in Sarawak.
In Peninsular Malaysia, late birth registration refers to those made more than 60 days after the date of birth.
“I feel that it is fitting and appropriate for the period to be classified as late birth registration to be lengthened so that it is the same like what is happening in Peninsular Malaysia.”
Fatimah said people in the peninsula enjoy transportation infrastructure while Sarawak has a huge land mass, and people living in the interior might face logistical challenges in registering new births at the nearest National Registration Department office.