Malaysian Chinese With 3 Birth Certificates Lost Her Citizenship
She must find her biological mother to regain Malaysian citizenship.
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The average person only has one birth certificate, but this teenager has three.
The first one shows that she is a Malaysian citizen.
However, after the second and third updates, she became a non-Malaysian citizen and could not obtain identity cards.
A woman adopted Amanda Lam Kai Xin, currently 17 years old, after her biological mother secretly gave birth to her and abandoned her in a clinic in Kuala Lumpur 17 years ago.
The parents’ information on the first birth certificate stated her adoptive parents’ names and that they were Malaysian citizens.
Although her adoptive mother told her she was not their biological daughter when she was 8, nothing changed.
When she was 12, and it was time to apply for a MyKad, fate dealt her cruelly.
The National Registration Department (JPN) told her the birth certificate could not be used as an identity card, and she was asked to apply in Putrajaya.
Then the National Registration Department in Putrajaya told Lim they would check her birth certificate.
She told Sin Chew Daily that, in the end, this wait lasted for four years.
When she was 16 years old, she got her second birth certificate, but all the parents’ information was not there, and she became a non-citizen.
They asked her adoptive parents to go through the adoption process and told Lim that she might be a Malaysian citizen or a non-citizen.
Finally, the adoptive parents went through the adoption process, and she got her third birth certificate at the beginning of this year.
However, the result was not what she wanted, and the third birth certificate still brought terrible news.
The State Of Being Stateless
With a MyKad card, she could have gotten a driver’s license or opened a bank account.
After reporting to the school this year, her status became an international student, and she needed to pay the international student’s tuition.
JPN informed her that to obtain an identity card, she needs to solve the problems surrounding her citizenship.
She had prepared much information and handed it over to JPN, which will then be handed over to the Home Ministry and then wait for 11 months to see if it was approved.
Lam said she was disconcerted by the third result when she was still listed as a non-citizen.
During this waiting process, she was told that her chances of obtaining citizenship would be higher if she could find her biological mother.
Looking For Actual Mother Through Social Media
Because of this, she posted on Facebook, hoping her biological mother could see her post and come to her, and netizens enthusiastically forwarded her post.
She said there are only four years left before she turns 21, and she is very nervous.
Her future will be at a loss if she still needs help getting her citizenship and identity card.
She also sought politicians’ assistance on this matter, but there has yet to be a follow-up.
Lam has minimal information about her biological mother.
She only learned from her aunt that her biological mother was an 18-year-old student who was about to go to university and gave birth to her secretly.
Her adoptive parents did not know who they were and did not go through the adoption process back then.
They only underwent the adoption process after she got the second birth certificate.
She wants her birth mother to see that she is looking for her and resolve her citizenship issue, so she does not become a non-citizen.
Lawyer: Abandoned Children Court Application Can Get Identity Card
Meanwhile, a lawyer told Sin Chew Daily three types of people in Malaysia could not get MyKad and how the situation could be dealt with.
The first type is the child born abroad to a Malaysian mother and a foreign father; the second type is conceived out of wedlock, and the mother is a foreigner.
The third type is abandoned children whose biological parents cannot be found.
The lawyer added that for abandoned children, in terms of law and cases, this kind of person can get a MyKad card through a court application.
There is no need to find the mother, but it would be better if one could.
He pointed out that Article 19B of the Second Schedule of Part Three of the Federal Constitution clarifies that any newborn baby found in our country can be deemed to be born by a mother who is a citizen.
The date when the newborn baby is found will be the date of birth.
There is a legal presumption that if an abandoned child is found, it means that the baby’s mother is a permanent resident here.
Child Born In Malaysia To A Permanent Resident
The child is entitled to citizenship unless the prosecutor proves the mother was not a permanent resident here.
In any case, he said that the abovementioned provisions must be supported with other documents.
These included whether the adoptive parents went to the police when they found the child and whether they published in newspapers to find the child’s biological parents to prove that she was an abandoned baby and not a victim of child trafficking.
The application process can take some time, so starting the process as early as possible is important.
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