Lost in the hardships of life, forgetfulness and ignorance exacerbated by an illiterate husband, a couple in Kampung Tebing Tinggi in Malim Nawar had to endure obstacles as three of their four children grew up without identity cards for the past 20 years.
Mashitah Kamarulzaman, 39, said that due to the inevitable problems, two of her children, a 22-year-old son and a 21-year-old daughter who have never been to school, faced difficulty in applying for jobs while another nine-year-old son also has no education.
She said only their 13-year-old daughter has an identity card because she was helped by her closest relatives before and is now studying in Form One.
“I admit that my husband and I made a grave mistake because of our own ignorance and neglect about this (documentation), making my children’s lives difficult.
“I have never had an identity card all my life and my children have been detained by police several times when passing through roadblocks. They also do not venture far from this village because they are worried about being detained by the authorities again,” she said at her home here today.
The family was visited by Perak Communications, Multimedia and NGO committee chairman Mohd Azlan Helmi Helmi over the dilemma.
Mashitah only earns about RM40 a day as a restaurant helper while her husband Hariandi Dimun, 40, works as a construction labourer with no stable income.
She said she was also taking care of four nieces and nephews aged between two and 10, as well as her mother Maimunah Arif, 61, who was diagnosed with stage three ovarian cancer two years ago.
Meanwhile, Mohd Azlan Helmi said after visiting the family that he would help Mashitah’s three children to secure identity cards.
He said the relevant personal documents have been submitted to the National Registration Department (NRD) to be processed soon.
Mohd Azlan Helmi said Mashitah’s children who are without education will be sent to school as soon as possible so that they will not be left behind.
“The JKM (Social Welfare Department) will also deliver monthly assistance for her cancer-stricken mother. I would like to thank all the agencies involved including the village head and police for resolving the issue,” he said.
Source: BERNAMA News Agency