KUALA LUMPUR – Melaka-born Priscilla Collar did not expect a monumental task when she applied for Malaysian citizenship for her two girls when she returned to the country in 2015.
After divorcing her French husband, she was jobless and looking for an avenue to get citizenship for her daughters.
Four years later, she received a notice informing her that her applications had been rejected without explanation.
“I had no choice but to reapply; it has been two years and I am still waiting,” she said, adding that her daughters might not be able to attend school as the Education Ministry has yet to send her the letter required by authorities to renew student visas.
In a week’s time, my 10-year-old daughter will be considered ‘illegal’. What do I do once she turns 16 and can no longer be here under a student visa? Do I just drive her to KLIA and say goodbye?”
Priscilla’s predicament is not uncommon.
Roshena Rafiq also faces challenges applying for Malaysian citizenship for her overseas-born twins, as a high-risk pregnancy prevented her from flying back to Malaysia for their birth.
Like Priscilla, her first application was rejected without reason after four years of waiting.
During her second appeal in 2018, she was told by the Home Ministry that her paperwork will be processed in two years.
It has now been more than three years and Roshena has not heard back from the authorities.
She said every query of hers was met with the same platitude – the application will take quite some time to be processed.
She is intent on staying in Malaysia as her elderly parents require care and she is motivated by filial piety.
But being torn between her children and parents could very well mean Roshena will not be able to stay in Malaysia for the sake of her children.
Echoing Roshena’s love for her local roots is Adlyn Adam Teoh, a cybersecurity specialist from Penang, who said being married to a non-Malaysian does not make her any less of a Malaysian herself.
“We will always be Malaysian, no matter how far away we go to study or who we end up marrying.”
Due to the quota system that prioritises children who are citizens for placements in government schools, Roshena and Adlyn have no choice but to enrol their children in international schools.
“Despite its flaws, our education system is greatly resilient,” Adlyn said, citing her experience as an arts stream student, who was then able to venture into a highly technical field.
Her decision to enrol her son in an international school is not a cheap one, but she said she has no choice as he would miss up to two months of every national school term due to delays in the admission process as a non-citizen student.
My son only knows one national song, Negaraku, and waves one national flag, our Jalur Gemilang. If this child is not Malaysian, then I do not know what he is.”
All three mothers are pleading for the government to empathise with their plight, and to withdraw its appeal against a recent landmark citizenship ruling by the high court.
Their sharing session was recently organised by the Penang Women’s Development Corporation, in collaboration with Family Frontiers.
It provided a platform for mothers denied the right to confer citizenship on their children.
Between 2013 and 2019, the Home Ministry processed almost 11,000 citizenship applications from Malaysian mothers.
Some 98% of applications were rejected, leaving affected families in a state of distress as the appeal process had to be repeated. – The Vibes, October 10, 2021
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