KUALA LUMPUR – Afique Danial Izzad Borges is a professional motorcycle racer, born to a Malaysian mother, but at 24 years old, he is still awaiting his Malaysian citizenship.
The reason is because his father is Dutch, and Afique was born in the Netherlands where his parents were sourcing an income.
Afique has lived most of his life in Malaysia, and raced at the Malaysian Superbike Championship, making his debut at Sepang in 2018.
“It was a struggle because most (racing) programmes are for Malaysians and I don’t have an identification card (IC),” Afique told The Vibes.
Nevertheless, despite the obstacles, Afique made sure he raced under a Malaysian flag.
Usually, racers will have to obtain a racing licence in the country that they choose to represent.
However, because Afique had no citizenship documents, he could not obtain a Malaysian racing licence.
“I didn’t obtain anything to state that I am a Malaysian racer.
“But I have good friends in Sepang, and I told them I have no interest in raising any other flag.
“I consider myself Malaysian and I want to raise the Malaysian flag,” Afique said.
Citizenship only possible with Malaysian father
Afique was not able to recall the number of times he and his family had made applications for him to obtain citizenship.
But he remembers that when he was about to turn 21, Afique knew it was probably his “last shot”.
“When we made the application, we were told that my birth certificate was not legible.
“So, my father was told to go to the Netherlands to obtain my birth certificate from the hospital where I was born.
“However, when we presented that in our application, they still told us the documents were not enough,” Afique explained.
It was also during other previous applications that his family was told that because Afique’s mother is Malaysian and his father is not, the application could not be made.
It was explained to the family that Afique could only get citizenship if his father is Malaysian.
“That was very sexist.
“I have seen my mom cry about this because her other children are Malaysians, and I am the only one who is not.
“Given that I am 24, if I don’t get an IC, I have to go to Europe where I have nothing,” Afique said.
No citizenship for special-needs daughter
Afique spoke to The Vibes after Family Frontiers’ premiere of a short film titled Saya Juga Anak Malaysia.
The film centres around Nur Aini Ahmad’s struggle to obtain citizenship for her daughter Nana who is autistic.
Aini met her husband who was an Indian citizen in Saudi Arabia where Nana was born.
In the film, Aini expressed her hopes for a miracle so that her daughter can be a Malaysian.
Later, while speaking to the audience, Aini explained that the pursuit for Nana’s citizenship was a struggle up to the point where she felt alone.
“I went to Mecca and prayed for this miracle.
“Obtaining citizenship for Nana is important to me and it’s for her future,” Aini said. – The Vibes, March 21, 2022
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