A year later, still no citizenship for Suki

The story of Suki Wong Pei Yee, a young girl without citizenship taking care of her father alone after the death of her mother, aroused the sympathy and concern of countless Malaysians when it was first reported in 2022. 

Help and offers of assistance came pouring in, allowing Suki to attend school and making physiotherapy sessions possible for her father who suffered a stroke eight years ago. 

But nearly a year after her story came to light, Suki is still waiting for the biggest thing of all: the right to be called a Malaysian citizen. 

Speaking in a recent interview with MalaysiaNow, her father Wong Kon Foo said that his daughter's future would remain uncertain as long as she was denied citizenship, despite the help that he and his family had received. 

Expressing gratitude for the assistance, he nevertheless questioned Suki's fate if she had no access to basic facilities such as health and education and, in time to come, work. 

"I hope Suki's application will be reviewed by the government," he said. 

"As long as she is not a citizen, her future will be bleak because she will never be able to live a normal life like any other Malaysian." 

Wong's plea followed two recent reports by MalaysiaNow on individuals without citizenship, one of which culminated in a happy ending after the home ministry decided to approve her application. 

Teenager Clara Sonia Joseph was abandoned by her birth mother at the age of three, but granted citizenship on April 7. 

On April 22 meanwhile, MalaysiaNow shared the story of Nurul Akashah, a young woman who, alone, had tried for years to apply for citizenship to no avail. 

She was later contacted by a representative from the home ministry with regard to her case. 

Suki, who was just 10 when her story was told, had taken care of her father alone since the death of her mother, Tran Diem Kiew, in April 2021. 

Chen Yu Szen, a lawyer who has been helping the family with Suki's citizenship application, said his most recent attempt at contacting the home ministry was on Dec 22 last year. 

He said there had been no response from the ministry. 

"We have already submitted four documents: Suki's birth certificate, her father's IC and OKU card, and her mother's death certificate," he told MalaysiaNow. 

"There has been no response. We are still waiting."