KUDAT, Feb 13 — National Registration Department (NRD) director-general, Datuk Mohammad Razin Abdullah has refuted claims made by some quarters on issuing of identity cards or birth certificates to illegal immigrants in Sabah by the department.

He said the issuing of an identity card or birth certificate was based on the nationality of the parents to children born in this country.

“If the child’s parents are not Malaysian citizens, we cannot issue a birth certificate for that child as stipulated in the Federal Constitution.

“If there are allegations that we are issuing personal identity documents to illegals, these are not true but mere slander. All the relevant documents are issued by the NRD in accordance with the set processes and procedure,” he told reporters after a visit to the Kudat NRD office, here, today.

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He was responding to allegations that have gone viral on the social media that the government was issuing personal identity documents to illegals in Sabah.

On the issuing of fake identity cards claimed to occur in Sabah following the arrest of a Filipino man using a fake IC when applying for a job in a company located at the Kampung Acheh Industrial Area in Sitiawan, Perak last month, Mohammad Razin said it was the work of irresponsible parties.

“There have been fake identity cards around but these are easily identified by NRD officers as they are not the same as the genuine ones issued by the NRD,” he added.

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Meanwhile, Mohammad Razin said the Sabah NRD would continue implementing the mobile programme, specifically for those in remote areas who find it difficult to get to the NRD office.

“We want to ensure that those eligible to obtain a birth certificate or identity card and wherever they are, would be reached by our officers to enable them to acquire personal identity documents,” he said. — Bernama