KUALA LUMPUR – A couple were left confused and shocked after their two children, whose ethnicities were registered as “Dusun” in their birth certificates, are labelled as “Indian” in more recent official documentation.
Indian man Joachim Thayalan and his Dusun wife, Elizabeth Joseph, were in the process of registering their eldest child for school via the Education Ministry’s online system when they found that the system has listed their son’s race as Indian.
The same happened for their second son when they were registering him for pre-school.
When he contacted the ministry on the matter, Joachim was told that it automatically receives the information from the National Registration Department (NRD).
He was also made to understand that the ministry is unable to revert the statuses as the information comes directly from the NRD.
Joseph lodged a report on the wrongfully altered statuses on March 3.
“I don’t know how and why the information regarding my children’s race is different from what is on their birth certificates.
“I don’t know NRD’s motive or hidden agenda in changing mandatory confidential information of my children,” she said in the report.
Joseph said the alteration will immensely impact her children, especially as they could now be denied Bumiputera privileges associated with being Dusun.
“I am making this report for my self-interest and the people of Sabah to bring awareness to those in biracial marriages with Bumiputera statuses who may face similar problems.”
The couple have also brought the matter to the attention of their MP in Wangsa Maju, Datin Tan Yee Kew of PKR.
Tan told The Vibes that NRD has no right to change the status of offspring without parental consent, adding that her lawyers will conduct research into the issue.
“If they change the status of the children from Dusun to Indian, they must at least inform on the grounds for such a change.”
She said it is normal practice in Sabah for parents in a mixed-race marriage to choose their children’s ethnic status.
“The mother is afraid that the children will lose their native rights as Bumiputera.
“Our lawyers and another who practises law in the Sabah native courts will look into this.” – The Vibes, March 7, 2021
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