Ramu receives citizenship after 11 attempts
KUALA LUMPUR: Ramu Karuppiah cannot believe that he received his citizenship certificate from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak himself.
The 67-year old even shared a joke with Najib on stage.
“It took me so long to be a Malaysian citizen and finally I got it from you!” his joke prompted Najib to burst into laughter on Tuesday.
Ramu, born in India in 1950 and now living in Penang, first applied for his citizenship in 1978.
He migrated to Malaysia at the age of 5 with his parents, who came here to work.
“I received my education until Year Four at the Batu Gajah Indian Settlement when I was forced to drop out as I did not have proper papers or a birth certificate,” he said, adding that life was hard and he had to resort to doing odd-jobs to survive.
“I was frustrated that I could not continue my studies, so I de- cided to work.
“I worked in a coffee shop before I bought a motorcycle and started selling bread,” he said.
Ramu said he had tried 11 times to obtain his citizenship.
“At first I failed the interview as the interviewer said I could not speak well in Bahasa Melayu. If only I had completed my studies back then, I would have passed the interview a long time ago,” he said.
To make matters worse, three years ago, Ramu suffered a stroke, causing him to suffer mild paralysis on one side of his body.
“Life was harder after I got the stroke. I had to bear the medical cost of RM80 monthly.
“It is not a small amount for me as RM80 could feed me for two weeks,” he said, adding that he would walk to the hospital three kilometers from his home.
“I would walk slowly and make a few stops before reaching the hospital.
“If my daughter was free, she would accompany me in a taxi,” the father of three said.
His hospital trips became more difficult after his wife died three months ago from breast cancer.
Ramu worked as a school bus driver for 38 years, but had to quit after the stroke.
“I am happy to receive my citizenship certificate.
“But deep down, I feel disappointed because I am not in good health,” he said.
Looking at the bright side, Ramu said he could now apply for financial aid from the Welfare Department.
“RM600 would be enough for me for one month,” he said.
Najib on Tuesday presented 1,054 recipients from the Indian community their citizenship papers, part of efforts to resolve documentation issues via the MyDaftar initiative launched in February 2011.