Ting (left) and Jack both show the certification of Malaysian citizenship, as Chin and the boy’s grandmother Lau Yen Len look on.
MIRI (May 18): Seven-year-old Jack Chin can finally call himself a Malaysian after having received personal documents validating his citizenship.
The boy is the child of Chin Jing Chao, who is a Malaysian man and his wife, who is an Indonesian.
Assistant Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Sarawak Datuk Sebastian Ting handed over the documents to Jack during a simple ceremony at the Piasau State Constituency Service Centre here yesterday.
According to Ting, Jacks family first approached him in 2017, seeking help in validating the boy’s citizenship status.
“We did provide several letters of support, and it took quite some time before the application was approved last year.
“When the letter of citizenship was issued in November 2020, it was an unfortunate time due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and travelling was not an option for them (Jack’s family).
“We appealed for the letter to be sent over to Miri and finally, it arrived at the Immigration office in UTC Miri,” said Ting, who is Piasau assemblyman.
Jack’s family is currently residing in Batu Niah.
The boy has a younger brother, who did not experience any issue regarding his Malaysian citizenship.
“Being a ‘stateless’ person means a lot of things cannot be done.
“I am happy that with this Malaysian citizenship, this young boy can now pursue education, and grow up without any worry about his status,” added Ting.