SANDAKAN: Mobile services from the National Registration Department (NRD) will be deployed to replace lost identification documents for victims of the Kampung Bahagia fire, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The Prime Minister said the mobile teams would be sent to the affected area to assist with replacing documents such as birth certificates, MyKad, and MyKid, while the Immigration Department would handle passport replacements.
“I have asked for discussions with the Home Minister, and representatives from the National Registration Department will be deployed to Kampung Bahagia to carry out registrations.
“We have (citizenship) records, so there should be no concern, including for non-citizens. We will ensure that birth certificates, MyKid, MyKad, death certificates and marriage certificates, including for non-Muslims, are replaced, and the cost will be borne by the government,” he said.
Anwar earlier paid a visit to victims at the Kampung Bahagia mosque and temporary relief centre at PPR Taman Batu Sapi here on Wednesday (Apr 22).
He also acknowledged that some victims have yet to register due to concerns over legal action against them, but assured that enforcement is not the priority at this stage.
“I want to give assurance that at this point, our focus is on (the victims’) safety and welfare.
“This is not the time for us to strictly enforce laws and regulations, although in the long term we will have to advise them to follow the usual registration process,” he said.
Anwar added that discussions on long-term redevelopment for Kampung Bahagia, which used to be a UNHCR refugee camp for Filipinos, would be carried out with the Sabah government, stressing that any decision must be carefully planned, given the scale of the project.
Previously, Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said that about 70% of the roughly 9,000 fire victims were non-Malaysians.
On Tuesday (April 21), Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said all registration and identity document replacement processes for victims would be examined on a case-by-case basis by the Sabah government, alongside state and federal agencies.
However, he stressed that the ministry would not adopt a blanket approach and would prioritise legitimate Malaysian citizens who lost their documents in the fire.
A total of 9,007 residents were displaced after about 1,000 stilt houses were destroyed in a midnight blaze in Kampung Bahagia, Batu Sapi, on Sunday (April 19).
Only about 200 houses survived the fire.
A total of eight relief centres have been activated, but thousands are still staying in the Kampung Bahagia compound.
