Sarawak minister advises caution regarding ‘Auntie Kong’ adoption services

KUCHING (May 17): Parents intending to adopt children must comply with the appropriate adoption procedures, and refrain from utilising ‘Auntie Kong’ services.

In giving this advice, Minister for Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Sarawak Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah explained the term ‘Auntie Kong’ as individuals who facilitated the adoption process for couples through improper procedures.

“There are even instances where the ‘Auntie Kong’ (service) provides fake birth certificates. As a result, these children use these forged documents until they reach the age at which they are required to obtain an identity card.

“The issue arises when the situation is discovered by the National Registration Department (JPN), in that their (children’s) information does not exist in the system.

“In such cases, the adoption process must restart, entirely from the beginning,” she told reporters when approached after officiating at the earth-breaking ceremony for Kuching Autistic Association (KAA)’s new education block here yesterday.

She added that in accordance with the correct adoption procedure, the names of the adoptive parents would not appear on the child’s birth certificate, which would instead bear the names of the biological parents.

However, she said there were cases where the adoptive parents were mistakenly listed as the biological parents of the child on the birth certificate.

“In the past, it was quite common for adoptive parents to list themselves as the birth parents on the birth certificate.

“But for this too, I will offer the same advice – the (adoptive) parents must undergo the proper adoption process,” she stressed.

In this respect, Fatimah highlighted the simplicity of undergoing the correct adoption process, noting that it would require the presence of both the biological and adoptive parents at the district office to complete the procedures provided for under the Adoption Ordinance.

“The district officer will conduct interviews with the biological parents and guide them through a declaration process, which can be completed within a day.

“Following the issuance of the adoption certificate, the adoptive parents will proceed to the JPN to acquire a birth certificate for the child,” explained the minister.

Furthermore, she highlighted that children with Malaysian and Sarawakian biological parents would be registered with Malaysian citizenship, and the Sarawakian status.

Fatimah also acknowledged the challenges in application when the biological parents were absent during the adoption process.

“Consequently, the child’s birth certificate may lack the parents’, or the mother’s names.

“Conversely, if the biological parents participated in the process, the child’s birth certificate would include their names, facilitating a smoother adoption procedure,” she said.