Merlin gets his MyKad after issue resolved
I am glad that the issue surrounding Merlin’s citizenship is now over and he is now able to sit for his UPSR examination this year. I believe everyone whom his family asked for help have been helpful in getting his problems solved.
KUCHING: Merlin Marjina can now proudly call himself a Malaysian after receiving his Malaysian identity card yesterday.
The 12 year- old Iban boy will also be able to sit for his Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah ( UPSR) examination this year and not be distracted by matters regarding to his citizenship.
He and his family members met and spoke with reporters yesterday at Minister of Welfare, Women and Community Wellbeing Datuk Fatimah Abdullah’s office here.
During the meeting, his mother Marjina Henry expressed her gratitude towards Fatimah’s ministry and the National Registration Department ( NRD) for helping to clarify her son’s citizenship status.
“Before this, we had no choice but to work hard and we went everywhere to help him ( Merlin) get his Malaysian citizenship. He has no birth certificate and we
Datuk Fatimah Abdullah, Minister of Welfare, Women and Community Wellbeing
had to seek help from the local community leaders in Meradong,” she added.
Her son Merlin was born out of wedlock at a village in Meradong in 2005 and has been living with his grandparents since he was born.
Marjina also revealed that she was 15-years- old when she gave birth to Merlin and did not know how to raise him at the time; hence, why she left him with her parents.
Now married with two more children, she hopes that Merlin will maintain contact with her or even live with her if he wants to.
“My son (Merlin) is still finding it hard getting used to being with me although I am his mother. I hope to spend more time with him afterwards as I certainly do not want my son to drift away from me,” she said.
Once Merlin’s birth certificate was made, it did not take long for him to obtain his Malaysian identity card.
Merlin’s plight was reported in The Borneo Post on March 15. His family expressed their worries over Merlin not having a birth certificate and thus not being able to sit for his UPSR examination this year.
Meanwhile, Fatimah remarked that Merlin was able to get his identification card through the efficiency of the NRD’s system and with help from his relatives and local community leaders in Meradong who helped him verify his genealogy.
“I am glad that the issue surrounding Merlin’s citizenship is now over and he is now able to sit for his UPSR examination this year. I believe everyone whom his family asked for help have been helpful in getting his problems solved,” she said.
Also present during the event were social activist Manjeet Sidhu, state NRD director Jasni Jubli, Merlin’s school teachers and his family members including his grandfather, stepfather and stepbrothers.