TODAY is the happiest day of his life, said Kuan Chon Foo, his eyes tearing up as he watched his five children receive their citizenship papers today.

“I’ve waited for this day for five long years.

“You can say it’s the best Chinese New Year gift for the Kuan family.”

Kuan’s children – daughter Sze Yuan, 13, son Nin Xuan, 12, daughter Sze Jing, 8 and son Nin Le, 3 – received their citizenship papers in Kuching, today, from Sarawak Minister of Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development, Fatimah Abdullah.

They are among 42 undocumented children who had their citizenship application fast-tracked by the Special Committee on Citizenship Status which Fatimah chairs.

The Kuan family’s problems started when the 38-year-old wireman married Yue Lang, who was an undocumented person even though she was born and raised in Sarikei, a town in central Sarawak.

Yue Lang was given away for adoption but the adoption was never formalised. As a result, she doesn’t have a birth certificate.

Thus, none of their children were able to get birth certificates as Kuan and his wife could not register their wedding.

When their eldest child Sze Yuan turned eight, Kuan started the process of trying to apply for citizenship for her so she could go to school.

However, his efforts were met with obstruction and disappointment.

Sze Yuan only managed to begin schooling at the age of 10 at a school run by the NGO Persatuan Pendidikan Diwira Kuching whose goal is to get undocumented children in the state get to school.

Thanks to the school, all the Kuan children had access to education.

The first thing on Kuan’s agenda now is “to get them all into government schools”.

Another new young citizen who plans to resume her interrupted studies is 19-year-old Bong Poh Lim.

The Asajaya teenager completed Form 5 two years ago but could not find a place in a tertiary institution because she was undocumented even though her father is a Sarawakian.

Her mother is an Indonesian. Under Malaysian law, the child follows the mother’s nationality.

“When I was 12, I nearly could not continue my secondary education,” said Bong, who now hopes to study accountancy.

“I’m happy,” she said as she related her plans to pick a college and apply for a study loan. – February 14, 2018.