KUCHING: Identity documents are very important in the efforts to eradicating poverty in a community.
Sarawak Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) commissioner Dr Madeline Berma, said individuals
without identity documents would inherit poverty.
“Such documents as birth certificates, identity cards and so on are important to an individual as these are
essential to having a good future.
“Without such documents it would be difficult for individuals to gain education and privileges like the rest
of society,” she said.
She said this when met at the Suhakam Office, Bangunan Tun Jugah,
recently.
She added that children born without such documents were the result of marriages of local people with outsiders (neighbouring countries) such as from Indonesia and so on.
“It happens a lot in the interior because many of us, especially Muslim’s, are married according to religious rites.
“As long as it is legal, they do not care about obtaining the documents,” she said.
She said the cases of illegitimate children were also a factor in them not having identification documents.
“This is what Suhakam is striving to do to ensure that these children obtain the necessary documents.
“We will bring such cases to the relevant parties as there are individuals who cannot afford to handle it themselves.
“I do not want children who do not have these documents to inherit poverty,” she said.
