I refer to the clarification by the director of Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara (National Registration Department), Azizan Ayob that the department is duty bound to register all births in the country under the law.

This is indeed a 'directive' long awaited by all, including lawyers who had for a long time found it extremely perplexing that JPN staff had refused to register births on alleged 'suspicious circumstances' such as the inability to produce evidence of a valid marriage.

It is unfortunate that despairing couples had to resort to lawyers to ensure registration when the law apparently is so simple.

It would be useful for the Jabatan to immediately train staff nationwide on this rather mundane matter.

The registration of a child is extremely important for schooling purposes among other things. There have been circumstances, which many lawyers can vouch for, where JPN staff have directed lawyers and couples to check with the Jabatan Ugama (Religious Department) on the validity of the marriage before the birth is registered.

Perhaps the good director should also pull up the Jabatan's legal advisers and superior officers who have so advised the same.

The matter of validity of a marriage or legitimacy at law of a child born in this country is the prerogative of our courts and is not a function to be usurped by civil servants.

The fact of registration of a birth under the law merely records the details of the birth and the natural parents of the child as indicated by the person who reports it. The officer is under no legal or even a moral obligation to investigate any further.

It is extremely uncivil of civil servants to make allegations that complaints of non-registration are mischievous. What such allegations may show is the apathy of JPN's top officers of the maladministration which has been going on for ages and obviously not rooted out.

It would be useful if the public starts lodging grievances on this matter with Suhakam for example, to at least indicate the length of time this administrative 'boo-boo' has been going on.