SIBU: The word ‘failure’ is not in the vocabulary of Chieng Mei Mei. She scored 10A’s in the 2018 SPM, becoming her school SMK St Elizabeth’s top performer.
Mei Mei scored 4A+ in Mathematics, Additional Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry; As in Bahasa Malaysia, English, History and Moral, and A- in Chemistry and Biology.
She also did well in her PT3, scoring 7A’s, 1B and 1C.
Her father is a local while her mother is an Indonesian from Kalimantan. They did not have a marriage certificate when Mei Mei and her sister were born.
Born stateless, her ambition is to be a teacher. However, she has yet to fulfil this as her application for an identity card had been turned down numerous times by the National Registration Department.
Met after receiving the Exemplary Student Award at her school’s annual prize-giving ceremony yesterday, she said she was not giving up in her quest to gain citizenship.
“I will continue to pursue this despite the numerous failures,” she said.
Mei Mei said she was told by Bukit Assek assemblywoman Irene Chang that “everything is still in progress”.
Due to her predicament, she missed the chance to enter a local university.
As a result, she had to do a two-year diploma in quantity surveying at Kolej Laila Taib here.
Principal Clement Chieng said the school shared Mei Mei’s sadness.
However, one positive outcome from her situation was the setting up of a ‘Help the Needy Students Fund’.
Datuk Thomas Ngu Sing Hieng, the guest of honour at the prize-giving ceremony, said they could not do much about Mei Mei’s case as this was a federal matter.
Ngu said they had managed to raise the targeted RM30,000 for the fund — the money was donated by former students of St Elizabeth and SMK Sacred Heart’s Form 5 Class of 1981.
“The money will be used to feed needy students, to pay for their transportation and other daily necessities.”
Ngu explained that they were helping out because they wanted to give back to society after benefitting tremendously from their alma mater, the church and also at the request of the principal.
Reflecting on how he climbed up the social ladder coming from a poor family, the Australia-based engineer advised students to “learn as much as possible”.
“Do not complain of too much work as knowledge is an asset that will bring you to greater heights.”
Among those present at the ceremony were board of management chairman Bishop Joseph Hii, the school’s old students association chairperson Teresa Lau and parent-teacher association chairperson Josephine Oui.
