RAWANG: The National Registration Department (NRD) has received about 50 applications related to amendments of ethnic status to Baba Nyonya on identity cards, with 11 approved so far, said its Director-General Datuk Badrul Hisham Alias.
He said each application is processed carefully to ensure it is supported by strong evidence and meets the stipulated requirements before any approval is granted.
"So far, around 50 applications have been received and 11 have been approved. Applications are processed from time to time. It is not only the Baba Nyonya community; the local Siamese community has also submitted applications,” he told reporters after a handover session of identity cards (late registration) to seven siblings in Sungai Buaya here Friday (Jan 2).
The media previously reported that a pilot project which began on Oct 1 to allow Baba Nyonya descendants to be officially registered in identity documents has been progressing smoothly, before its implementation was expanded nationwide starting yesterday.
Badrul Hisham said the ethnic registration system at the NRD is dynamic and can be amended, including changes involving ethnic status, names and titles, subject to the submission of valid and strong supporting documents.
Meanwhile, he said NRD is improving the development of an end-to-end service system to facilitate public dealings, as currently all amendment applications, including those related to ethnic status, must be made physically at JPN offices.
Baba and Nyonya Association of Malaysia president Ronald Gan was reported as saying that members of the Baba Nyonya community in Melaka are now allowed to record their ethnicity on birth certificates as official recognition of their Peranakan lineage.
He said the move will be extended to the Peranakan Chinese community nationwide starting this January. - Bernama
