This Klang-Born Top Student Can't Continue Her Studies Because She's Not Malaysian
She was a top scorer in last year's STPM examination.
By Jia Vern Tham — 13 Mar 2018, 01:48 PM
Born at a clinic in Klang, 20-year-old STPM top scorer Roisah Abdullah is a brilliant student at SMK Sg Kapar Indah
According to The Malaysian Insight, Roisah obtained excellent results in PMR and SPM as well.
However, she sits for exams with her birth certificate instead of a blue MyKad.
Adopted at birth, Roisah's biological mother is reported to be a foreigner, while her father's details remain unknown
Before she passed away, Roisah's adoptive mother tried numerous times to obtain a blue MyKad for her from the National Registration Department (JPN), but was always rejected.
In 2013, her rejection letter from the Ministry of Home Affairs did not state a reason for rejection other than it was in accordance with Article 15(A) of the Federal Constitution.
Free Malaysia Today reported that as a result, Roisah is unable to move on to tertiary education due to her stateless status.
Human rights lawyer N Surendran and opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim both urged Putrajaya to address Roisah's situation, and the issue of stateless children in Malaysia
According to Free Malaysia Today's report, Anwar urged Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to give Roisah citizenship immediately.
Berita Daily also reported that Anwar said Zahid must accept responsibility and make Roisah's case his priority rather than "spending his time campaigning for GE14".
"I also urge Zahid to look into the large number of other Malaysians who remain stateless despite being qualified under the Federal Constitution," Anwar added.
N Surendran speaking to reporters at a Lawyers For Liberty press conference yesterday.
Image via The Malaysian InsightPadang Serai MP N Surendran told reporters at legal rights group Lawyers For Liberty (LFL)'s press conference that Rosiah's case was urgent as she needed to enrol in university.
"By right government should send her abroad because she is a brilliant student. But despite being a top student, she has got no future," Surendran said.
"Nobody will give her a job because she has got no papers. How do we justify this?" he added.
Roisah's case was among three cases of stateless children brought up by LFL at a press conference yesterday, 12 March
The stateless children appeared at the press conference with their families and N Surendran yesterday.
Image via Free Malaysia Today8-year-old R Karthiyani, who was born at home, is the only one out of 11 children with no documentation due to the circumstances of her birth.
The Kuala Lumpur Hospital (HKL) confirmed that she was born at home, but the JPN has disagreed and denied the girl her citizenship.
7-year-old Lim Ai Ling, born to parents whose marriage was unregistered, remain stateless as well.
Her Malaysian father, Lim Chun Jih, and Indonesian mother applied for her citizenship April last year.