I HAVE been stateless since birth though I was born in Malaysia in 2007 to a Malaysian father. My father has made many applications and appeals to the National Registration Department for my citizenship but sadly all to no avail. 

Every day is a nightmare for my single-parent father, who is a plumber. To compound my dilemma, I have suffered from systemic lupus erythomatosus (SLE) since 2018 when I was 11 years old. My first attack nearly killed me. I have been admitted several times at Hospital Selayang and have missed school for a few months. Hospital charges for non-citizens are hefty which my father can ill afford. Upon our repeated appeals with help from numerous kind people, the Health Ministry has waived the hospital charges until I turn 17.

I will turn 17 in September next year and my medical costs will be very high then. SLE is a life-threatening illness that requires lifelong treatment. I dread to think of how my father, who also has to care for his aged parents, will bear the high medical expenses.

Soon I will be finishing school and I wish to pursue higher education and then get a job to lessen the burden on my father. Being stateless, both dreams are impossible for me. I can’t even do normal things that all young people can do, such as having a bank account and learning to drive. A bleak and hopeless future lies ahead of me without citizenship.

News that the Home Ministry has process processed 8,000 cases of stateless people has given me hope. It is all thanks to the Madani government, particularly Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution, who has managed to do in 11 months what his predecessors could not for decades. Kudos to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. I pray every day citizenship will be granted to all deserving stateless persons to relieve us of our suffering. I have high hopes that it will happen soon and I can’t wait to hold my citizenship for the very first time. As a proud Malaysia, I would be able to contribute to my family and country. – October 18, 2023.

* A Stateless Child reads The Malaysian Insight.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.