KOTA KINABALU - The High Court here has allowed an application by a father to query a decision by the National Registration Department (NRD) not to issue a MyKad to his son until the Syariah Court has determined if his son is a Muslim.
Justice Chew Soo Ho held that the applicant Phuong Hiung Woei was entitled to state the religion or faith of his son as Buddhist and there was no need for documentary proof to be produced by the father.
“For certain religions or faiths such as Buddhism there is no need for documentation. What determines the faith or religion is the practice and not documents,” the judge added when granting leave to Phuong for a judicial review of the NRD decision.
Chew had pointed out that under the Federal Constitution, the parents determined the religion of the child if the child was below the age of 18 years. And the NRD cannot impose the conditions on the parents as they had done in this case.
Phuong, 45, represented by counsel Marcel Jude Joseph in his application petitioned to the court for:-
- an order of certiorari to quash the decision of the NRD (Respondent) set down in a letter dated Feb 1, 2013.
- an order of mandamus to NRD to issue a birth certificate to his son without designating him as a Muslim.
- and a declaration that the refusal of the NRD to refuse his religion as a Buddhist is unconstitutional, unlawful, null and void.
Phuong is married to one Zeliha Bt Abd Karim and they have a son Phuong Jian Cheng, and was issued a birth certificate by NRD.
However the NRD subsequently re-issued another birth certificate where his religion was stated as Islam.
Raised as a Buddhist
When Phuong discovered this, he protested to the NRD and applied to cancel the erroneous registration of his son as a Muslim. His son was raised by his parent as a Buddhist.
The department however refused and instead issued a letter on Feb 1 this year instructing Phuong to go to the Syariah Court to obtain the religious status of his son.
In his leave ruling, Chew overruled NRD’s objections that Phuong’s application was frivolous and vexatious.
He ruled that the applicant’s case had merits as Article 12 of the Federal Constitution allowed freedom of religion and the right to determine the faith or religion of a child was his parents, in this case the Buddhist father.
The judge also held that the respondent itself was uncertain of the applicant’s son religion and they could not make this decision without consultation of the parents.
Such unilateral and arbitrary action is subject to judicial review of the courts.
Chew also ruled that:
- the applicant was entitled to state the religion or faith of his son as Buddhist. There was no need for documentary proof to be showed by the father for certain religions or faiths such as Buddhism.
- what determines the faith or religion is the practice and not documents.
He added that the facts of this case were distinguished from that of Lina Joy. In that case it was a known fact that Lina Joy was a Muslim and she tried to change her religion by executing a statutory declaration.
The judge said in this case it was a known fact that the child was not practising as a Muslim but is a Buddhist.
By Joseph Bingkasan
We have come to be the peaceful nation that we are today not because we have indulged in controversial debates, but because we cherish tolerance and mutual respect we have for one another.
ReplyDeleteLeaders of communities and religious organisations must be wise enough to know when some issues should be put to rest rather than continue at the expense of creating animosity and tension in society.
ReplyDeleteI am confident that Malaysians from any religious background do not wish to create tension or be disrespectful to their fellow Malaysians.
ReplyDeleteLet us practise restraint out of respect to our fellow Malaysians regardless of their religious background. What is the point of having the freedom to practise our religions when what we struggle for is to create animosity in other religions?
ReplyDeletesijil kelahiran harus elakkan sebarang kesilapan yang akan menyusahkan saja
ReplyDeleteI dont understand why this thing could ever happened
ReplyDeleteSikit2 ada salah, hairan juga ni
ReplyDeleteThis thing should never happened at the first place
ReplyDeleteNasib la
ReplyDeleteSemua pihak harus menerima keputusan Mahkamah Rayuan
ReplyDeleteMempunyai “bin” atau “binti” pada MyKad anda adalah bukan satu masalah besar jika anda warga Sabah.
ReplyDeleteDi Sabah adalah perkara biasa jika seseorang itu mempunyai nama Islam tetapi agamanya bukan Islam. Itu yang membuatkan Sabah unik
ReplyDeleteWalaupun ada sesetengah kes di mana penganut Kristian telah “diislamkan” oleh JPN hanya kerana mereka menggunakan “bin” atau “binti” dalam nama mereka, beliau menjelaskan kejadian tersebut sebagai “kesilapan teknikal” yang berlaku ketika data didaftarkan ke dalam maklumat jabatan tersebut semasa mereka pertama kali menggunakan sistem berkomputer.
ReplyDelete“Saya mengaku yang kadangkadang kami membuat kesilapan namun ini sesuatu yang mudah untuk diperbetulkan. Sesiapa yang mempunyai masalah kesilapan status agama pada MyKad mereka hanya perlu datang ke pejabat kami dan tunjukkan kesilapannya dan kami akan memperbetulkannya,” -Ismail Ahmad
ReplyDeleteIsu yang biasa juga dihadapi ialah apabila seseorang itu yang dilahirkan sebagai Muslim tidak mempraktikkan agama Islam.
ReplyDelete“Jika ibu bapa anda Muslim, maka anda dilahirkan sebagai Muslim. Tetapi jika anda tidak mempraktikkan agama ibu bapa anda, maka anda tiada pilihan melainkan merujuk kes anda ke Mahkamah Syariah. Mahkamah Syariah akan memutuskan samada anda adalah Muslim atau tidak.”
ReplyDelete“Kami hanya boleh menukar status agama anda seperti yang tertera pada MyKad anda setelah mendapat perintah mahkamah,” katanya.
ReplyDelete“JPN akan hanya mengikut perintah Mahkamah Syariah untuk memutuskan sama ada penganut Kristian bumiputera yang telah disenaraikan sebagai Muslim sebenarnya bukan Muslim.”
ReplyDelete“Walaupun jika penganut Kristian bumiputera mendapat kes sebutan dari Mahkamah Syariah, tidak semestinya wakil JPN dan pihak berkuasa dari jabatan agama Islam hadir, menyebabkan kes tertangguh,”
ReplyDeleteIsmail bersetuju dengan Menteri Perusahaan Perladangan dan Komoditi yang juga Presiden United Pasok Momogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko) Tan Sri Bernard Dompok, yang mengatakan bagi mereka yang bukan Islam di Sabah, dan mempunyai status sebagai Islam yang disebabkan kesilapan tidak disengajakan kerana menggunakan "bin" atau “binti” pada MyKad, boleh memperbetulkannya di JPN sekarang tanpa perlu ke Mahkamah Syariah lagi seperti sebelumnya.
ReplyDelete