IN a heartening turn of events, a wave of hope has swept through the lives of stateless individuals in Sarawak, as they finally receive the long-sought gift of citizenship.
After enduring years of uncertainty, challenges, and exclusion from basic rights and opportunities, these stories stand as remarkable testaments to resilience, determination, and the transformative power of legal recognition.
Liana Sari Santud
Amid the tales of triumph, the case of Liana, 20, stands as a beacon of hope when Minister for Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development (KPWK), Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah expressed optimism that her situation could be resolved.
Fatimah stated that Liana had clear proof of citizenship from her grandmother’s side.
“All the documents are there and these really help in her case. I was also informed by Liana’s mother Gading Ngerantar that the son of their longhouse chief can assist with the proof of their existence.
“When we see Liana’s family tree, we know the case can be resolved. Not just Liana but also the statelessness issues of her siblings and her mother,” she said.
Fatimah pointed out that besides Liana, her parents Santud Danong and Gading Gandut Ngerantar, and two of her three siblings were all stateless despite being born in Sarawak.
“We will see how we can assist her mother. We will look at the case holistically and in Liana’s case, we brought a solution to Liana, her siblings and her mother,” she said.
For the time being, Fatimah advised Liana to apply for MyKAS or a temporary resident card since she had never applied for it before.
“We recommend that Liana’s parents come to any National Registration Department (NRD) office to submit citizenship claims if there is proof of the identification document of their mother or father or siblings or grandparents,” she added.
Five-year wait comes to an end
For Bong Shi Hui, 24, the five-year wait for citizenship approval has finally culminated in a moment of unparallelled joy.
Bong, who was adopted by Kong Nguh Shan and Bong Kong Jin in 2017, has finally received approval for her citizenship.
In 2018, her adoptive parents submitted a citizenship application for Bong under Article 15A at the NRD Sarawak.
She expressed her immense joy when her adoptive parents received the approval letter from the Home Ministry, considering it one of the greatest blessings in her life.
“I can’t put into words how my adoptive parents and I feel. We waited for this moment for a very long time. Nonetheless, I am truly grateful for my adoptive parents,” she said.
Reflecting on her upbringing, she admitted that it was sometimes challenging for her to be without citizenship. There were moments when she felt upset and questioned her situation.
Unlike many stateless children who lack access to education and healthcare, Bong was thankful that she was fortunate that her adoptive parents could afford to send her to a private school.
“I consider myself very fortunate to have wonderful friends throughout my schooling years. They never mocked or bullied me because of my stateless status.
“In fact, some of my friends who are currently studying overseas called me to congratulate me when they learned about the approval letter. Their happiness for me and my family touched me deeply,” she said.
Dewi Ahin’s triumph over unforeseen challenges
Meanwhile, Dewi’s story sheds light on the complexities of statelessness stemming from unregistered marriages.
The consequences were borne by her sons, who were denied education, healthcare, and welfare services despite being born in Sarawak.
She shared that as a foreign spouse, she was not aware of the consequences of not registering her marriage before giving birth in Sarawak. This resulted in both her sons being stateless for years.
The 40-year-old woman from Pontianak, Indonesia said over the years, her children were denied the right and access to education, healthcare and other welfare services although their father was a Sarawakian.
“We had to fork out an additional RM500 every month to pay school fees for them to attend government schools as well as other expenses. We also needed to buy textbooks ourselves.
“I can’t remember how many times we had applied formally as well as visited the NRD to ask for help for the last five years,” she said.
Thus, Dewi said it came as a relief when her children, aged 7 and 13, finally received their citizenship approval letters.
She believes that life would be better after her children have been granted citizenship status and looks forward to travelling abroad in the future.
A decade of persistence
Meanwhile, for Liew Saw Khiuk, her quest for citizenship embodies unyielding persistence.
Acting as the guardian of her brother’s adopted son Liew Ye Siong, 14, she weathered numerous challenges in pursuit of recognition.
“Although he (Ye Siong) was adopted by my brother, I have been taking care of him since he was a baby. After my brother passed away, I became his guardian.
“We have been waiting for this (citizenship) status for more than 10 years… we are so happy and lost for words. We know that all our family members will be really happy,” she said.
Despite a journey marked by delays and obstacles, the family’s determination remained unwavering.
Liew said they had been applying for the citizenship status since 2013 and although there were various challenges and delays, they never thought of giving up.
She shared that her family had to pay RM120 annually for Ye Siong to attend Primary One to Primary Six at government school and he almost could not proceed to secondary school this year due to his stateless status.
“Fortunately, Sarawak decided to issue Temporary Personal Documents for Individuals without Citizenship in Sarawak (DSITKS). This has enabled him to continue his studies,” she said.
Triumph through patience and support
Thomas Hill’s family narrative mirrors the resilience born out of patience and support. Despite grappling with the complexities tied to his wife’s conversion from Islam, their pursuit of citizenship for their children endured for years.
According to him, he has been waiting for the citizenship approval for his two children, 17 and 12 years old, for over three years.
“Thank God with the help of Pertubuhan Pembangunan Insan Sarawak (PPIS) president Manjeet Sidhu, our long awaited application finally came to an end,” he said.
He shared that with the help of Manjeet, his 17-year-old child could obtain his citizenship in a day while the latter took three months.
“This is because my younger child has not had any documentation since she was born. I started to apply for it back in 2018, and only in 2022 did she finally get her MyKad,” he said.
Return to dreams
The stories of two siblings, Illa Willy, 17, and Ivy Willy, 14, illuminate the resilience inherent in the pursuit of dreams.
Illa, who wants to become a doctor, shared her joy knowing that she could soon return to school after receiving his citizenship status.
“When I was asked to drop out of school due to my stateless status, I was devastated. It was an unfair situation for me because other children can go to school but I can’t?
“Nevertheless, despite missing most of the school sessions, I will try my best to achieve my dreams. For that, I would like to thank PPIS for providing me an opportunity to go back to school,” she said.
Meanwhile, Ivy shared her excitement at being able to resume her studies.
“I could not go to school since Form 1 due to my stateless status and having a pink certificate. Now, with the opportunity given, I will try my best to achieve my dreams,” she said.
In celebrating these stories of triumph, we recognise that there is still work to be done to aid the stateless children in Sarawak.
While these individuals have attained citizenship, the journey towards recognition for all stateless individuals continues.
