ROHANA Abdullah shed tears of joy when she accepted a letter granting her Malaysian citizenship status from Home Minister Hamzah Zainudin today.

The 22-year-old was left at birth by her Indonesian mother and cared for by a local Chinese woman.

After receiving the letter, Rohana returned to her seat and gave her adoptive mother, Chee Hoi Lan, 83, a tight hug before both left the ceremony.

Hamzah said Rohana cried as she has been waiting for a long time on the decision regarding her citizenship application.

“She expressed her thanks to the government, and I informed her that we grant citizenship to eligible individuals.”

Rohana is one of 34 recipients, aged between 5 and 24, who received citizenship at the ceremony held at the Home Ministry.

Article 15A of the Federal Constitution provides a special power to the federal government to register as a citizen a person under the age of 21.

Rohana’s citizenship issue attracted the attention of the prime minister, who then contacted her to assist with her documentation.

Rohana was reportedly abandoned when she was 2 months old and cared for by Chee, who was a teacher at a kindergarten where Rohana’s biological mother worked as a cleaner. – Bernama, April 29, 2022.