[VIDEO] Merdeka: merely a dream for Malaysia’s stateless children? 

KUALA LUMPUR – As Malaysians celebrate the nation’s independence today with sentiments of pride and hope, spare a thought for the stateless children – those who are born here and yet due to circumstances not of their choosing are not considered citizens.

These include children born out of wedlock, or whose births were not registered by their parents. They may be adopted, but Malaysia’s laws do not grant them the same rights as the biological children of their adoptive parents.

11-year-old Ben, who hails from Klang, is a stateless child, even though his parents registered their marriage after he was born.

Born to a Malaysian-Chinese man and a Filipino woman, Ben may not comprehend the full impact of his stateless status just yet, but he knows it is a predicament and is bothered by it.

“I don’t want to talk about it anymore,” Ben told The Vibes. His name and his parents’ have been changed at their request to protect them from repercussions.

He harbours hopes of becoming a singer when he grows up and dreams of travelling abroad to catch his favourite band Imagine Dragons performing live. 

But as a stateless child, he does not possess citizenship identification documents, let alone the ability to apply for a passport. 

“He was born out of wedlock, so that’s why we are here now in this situation,” Ben’s mother Rachel, said.  

“But after my husband and I were married, we applied for his citizenship straight away. We were married in 2013 and we applied for it in 2015.  

“It has been seven years and we are still waiting, there’s not much progress.”

Ben’s father, Sam, is also disappointed, saying their applications have been met with rejection letters that were vague, merely telling the parents they could reapply. 

Sam said his son was also refused admittance to government primary schools when he turned 7. The family cannot afford expensive international schools and had no choice but to enrol him in a school for refugee children.

“Even the teachers were sceptical about it. They said: ‘You’re Malaysian. How come you cannot apply to a Malaysian school for your son?’

“They said: ‘He’s still a Malaysian, the government should allow it’.

“My son, going to a school for refugees… not right, not right at all,” Sam said, as he fought back tears.

It is unclear what the latest figures on the exact number of stateless children are.

In 2016, then home minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi estimated that there were at least 290,000 of them in Malaysia. 

12-year-old Clara told The Vibes of how statelessness has impacted her life.

For one, her family has to pay more for her education.

“I don’t get free books like my other friends. I have to pay for most of my books and for a lot of things that my friends don’t have to pay for. So it’s really hard for me to be stateless,” said Clara, who dreams of becoming a doctor.

Her Malaysian mother Shamini, who has raised Clara since she was a toddler, has only one wish – that their eight-year battle to rightfully gain formal citizenship status comes to an end.

“I just hope she gets her citizenship and whatever she desires, I hope her dreams come true. That’s all I ask for now. If the government can open their eyes and see the plight of the child. 

Aaliyah Abdullah, the adoptive mother of two stateless children, has been going back and forth with citizenship applications for her stateless daughters for more than five years.  

She places great faith in prayer, trusting that hers will someday be answered.

“I have faith in the Almighty that my country will not let me down. I have faith in the system of our Parliament, as well as the ministers… that they will empathise. 

“I have faith that they will be moved by the Almighty above to choose good and the best for these children.  

“I’m not worried because eventually nothing that goes in prayers goes unanswered.”

In limbo for years on end and soldiering on by sheer faith, these stateless children wait for the day the country they were born in will recognise them as citizens. Only then will Merdeka truly have meaning for them. – The Vibes, August 31, 2022