Wrongly labelled as a Muslim in Mykad

KOTA KINABALU - A 41-year-old Dusun man claimed his MyKad is wrongly labelled as a Muslim when in fact he is a Christian.

Jafarin bin Kilon, from Tamparuli, claimed he became aware of the error when he tried to apply for a birth certificate for his son in 2012.

"They said I could not register my son as a Christian because my MyKad identified my religion to be Muslim," said Kilon, who is married to a Dusun woman from Kota Marudu who is also a Christian.

"This has caused problems for me and my family, especially when we take our son to the hospital and are charged RM60 which is a foreigner's fee because my son does not have a birth certificate," he said when met at his home in Luyang where he currently stays.

"I went to the National Registration Department about this matter and they told me to refer to the Sabah Islamic Affairs Department, which I have also done and further checks showed that I am not a Muslim," he said.

Jafarin, who works as a labourer, hoped the National Registration Department would correct the error.

A similar incident was also reported in March when a 30-year-old Dusun woman from Kg Pinopok in Membakut lodged a police report after discovering her father had been identified as a Bajau and Muslim in his MyKad, when in fact he is Dusun and a pagan.