KOTA KINABALU: Parents with newborns who have not received their birth certificates in Sabah due shortage of paper supply can expect to get them from Dec 20.

       State National Registration Department (NRD) director Khairrul Aminus Kamaruddin said the stock for these papers were supplied from China, but there were delays due to problems in the country, including flooding a few months ago.

       “We apologise for any inconvenience caused; this is not a normal occurrence and it is beyond our control. But we are trying our best to get these certificates out and distributed,” he said.

       He said this during a press conference, following uproar among some parents who claimed that they had not received their newborn’s birth certificates, some as far back as 10 months.

       A total of 3,200 applicants were still waiting for their birth certificates.

       Khairrul explained that issues on the paper supply shortage was detected early October, and they have been trying to get updates and follow-ups from their headquarters in Peninsular Malaysia.

       “This is beyond anyone’s control, but don’t worry because the stocks have arrived in Kuala Lumpur on Dec 6,” he said, adding the printing company there has given assurance that the documents will be ready by the end of next week at the latest.

       “So, once these documents are ready, our officials will personally go to Kuala Lumpur to bring them back, and distribute them to all the district NRD offices,” he said.

       “We can expect to start distributing and calling parents from Dec 20,” Khairrul added.

       On the process of the issuance of birth certificates, he said the paper from China would be printed with a standard format in Kuala Lumpur, while the data will be printed here in Sabah.

       He said the unfilled birth certificates - known as certified extraction birth certificates or “Borang O” - will be sent to Sabah.

       It will later be filled in with details of newborns or new citizens here.