KUANTAN: Born out of wedlock, a five-year-old girl without a birth certificate or other identification documents is staring at a bleak future.
Her mother fled several months after giving birth, leaving the girl with her father but the man who did not want to take care of his daughter instead sent her to his parents home in Kampung Gohok, Temerloh.
The girl's grandfather said he sympathised with the girl as she had no one to turn to after both the parents did not bother about her future.
"I am angry with my son and his female companion. I told them to get married but they refused to listen and several months after giving birth, the woman went missing.
"I am not complaining and have no problem taking care of the child as long as I am alive. My wife and I will be there for her but our concern is her future. Will she be able to enrol in school, get proper education and obtain proper identification documents?" he said when met at his brother's house in Permatang Badak here today.
The grandfather, who does odd-jobs for a living, said he was upset with his son, fourth of eight siblings, who did not make any effort to help his daughter obtain a birth certificate after his female companion gave birth at the Tengku Ampuan Afzan hospital (HTAA) here in 2012.
"Even now he is not taking any interest in her or supporting her. I have gone to the National Registration Department (NRD) office several times to seek clarification on how to handle the matter but there seems to be nothing the officers can do to help. We cannot track down the mother and her family.
"I hope the mother will come forward to assist the girl to obtain a birth certificate," he said, adding he hoped the NRD and HTAA could assist to solve the matter.
The man said he was prepared to assist HTAA by providing the girl's birth details as the hospital might have kept some information in their records.