NOTHING can be more painful when you are still stateless in a country where you have been born and bred.
Nineteen-year-old G. Saradha Devi is currently unable to pursue her tertiary studies due to her stateless status.
Her distraught father, Ganesan Periasamy said despite many appeals to the National Registration Department, Saradha has failed to attain her Malaysian citizenship.
Saradha’s mother, Susana Lopez, hails from the Philippines and is living in Malaysia on five-year renewable visa.
Saradha’s parents also went through late marriage registration after she was born. However, her younger brother Muniiswaar A/L Ganesan ,15 who was born after their parents had registered their marriage, has obtained his Malaysian citizenship.
“Saradha has completed her Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) and is in a quandary now as she is unable to go for her higher studies.
“She desires to attend a nursing college but for all that to happen she needs to get her citizenship. As her father, I am so worried about her future.
“She cannot open up a bank account and cannot even apply for a driving licence. She would not be able to secure a job as well,’’ said Ganesan when interviewed by the Buletin Mutiara team today during a press conference.
Lopez hopes that the government would help Saradha for the sake of her future.
“We will keep fighting for our daughter, I know that there are many individuals who are in the same boat as her. I hope that the government would rectify this matter as soon as possible as they have an uncertain future,’’ said Lopez.
Another youngster, Nurul Shuhada Abdullah, 18, who was adopted by a couple, is facing a similar predicament as Saradha for not being able to pursue higher studies.
Her adopted father, Mohamed Noor Hassan, is a Malaysian while her adopted mother, Yayat Nurhayati Khodari, is an Indonesian with a permanent resident (PR) status. Nurul Shuhada’s biological mother is an Indonesian.
“We hope that the government will look into this matter seriously. We are in distress over our daughter’s future.
“While we are around, we will take care of her. What will happen to her if we are no longer around?” asked Mohamed Noor.
Deputy Chief Minister II Prof Dr P. Ramasamy said from 1 February 2013 till 30 June 2020, their team received a total of 2,205 applications pertaining to citizenship issue.
“Out of this, 228 individuals have received their citizenship status and 1,805 applications are being processed by the Ministry of Home Affairs, National Registration Department and other government agencies. The team is currently handling 172 cases.
“Overall, the rate of approval for citizenship is low.
“Some of the problems that we have encountered include slow process of applications, no proper feedback from the relevant ministry, no valid reasons given for rejecting the applications and insufficient documents provided by the applicants,’’ said Dr Ramasamy during a press conference today.
Ramasamy said in order to help individuals to get their citizenship, the state government has formed the ‘Bahagian Kewarganegaraan Pulau Pinang’ on Feb 1 which consists of five officers.
The officers oversee cases in the five districts, namely northeast (DTL), southwest (DBD), north Seberang Perai (SPU), central Seberang Perai (SPT) and south Seberang Perai (SPU).
For those who need assistance, they can contact the officers as follows: Rachenamorthy Peresamy (SPU) 019-457 2271; Nirmala Kuppusamy (SPT) 016-249 2115; Vicknesh Prabhu Kuppusamy (SPU) 012 – 693 4786; Yeap Choon Keong (DTL) 013-449 0366 and Velan Kalimuthu (DBD) 016-480 5537.
Story by Tanushalini Moroter
Pix by Law Suun Ting