THE government needs to find a permanent solution to end the misery of stateless children in Malaysia, DAP lawmaker Teo Nie Ching said after news that a 22-year-old stateless woman has obtained citizenship with the prime minister’s assistance.

Rohana Abdullah, who was left at birth by her Indonesian mother and cared for by a local Chinese woman, was yesterday granted full Malaysian citizenship.

Teo said it is time all stateless children in the country who are legally adopted by Malaysian parents were given Malaysian citizenship.

“I plead with the Keluarga Malaysia government to find a permanent solution to end the misery of the stateless children,” said Teo in a statement today.

“Let their predicament be finally heard this time. I really hope they do not need to wait for their time to get media exposure before they receive calls from the prime minister and the approval letter of home minister.”

Rohana’s citizenship problem had drawn media attention after it was found that her adoptive mother was 83-year-old Chee Hoi Lan.

Her case caught the attention of Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who then contacted her to assist with her documentation.

Rohana had been adopted by Chee at age two. Chee was a teacher at a kindergarten where Rohana’s biological mother worked as a cleaner. 

Teo, who is a former deputy education minister, also proposed that all stateless children with Malaysian fathers be given Malaysian citizenship by producing their DNA test report. 

She said pursuant to the Federal Court decision on November 19 last year, all newborns who were abandoned and then found without any trace of their biological parents are entitled to citizenship by operation of law until the contrary is shown. 

“While I feel very happy for Rohana and Madam Chee, we must not forget that there are many more stateless persons who have also gone through countless tragic encounters and experiences while living in Malaysia,” she said

“Are Ismail Sabri and (Home Minister) Hamzah Zainudin also committed to assisting them?

“Are they prepared to address the policy gaps in citizenship law so that the other stateless children will not have to go through the suffering and tragedy Rohana endured.”

She said Hamzah should disclose what sort of criteria is used by his ministry in granting citizenship to those eligible. 

“Why was Rohana not deemed eligible in the past 20 years and why three months after her plight was widely reported on social media she suddenly becomes eligible? 

“What are the criteria the Home Ministry uses to decide who is eligible and who is not?” she asked. – April 30, 2022.