Getting a citizenship anywhere in the world can be pretty tricky, but there should be exceptions for those who have served the country in the past. This 91-year-old man living in Sarawak was denied Malaysian citizenship even though he used to serve our country.
The man, Basar Paru, is a retired border scout who served during the Malaysia-Indonesia confrontation and the Communist insurgency that happened during the 1960s and late 1980s. Basar spent 10 years of his life patrolling the borders of Long Semado in Lawas!
Even though he was born in Kalimantan, Indonesia, he migrated over and raised his family in Sarawak since the late 1950s. The man’s daughter, Orpah, shared that her father has made several attempts throughout the years to attain Malaysian citizenship, but has been unsuccessful.
“He wants the blue-coloured MyKad and we as his children have to console him each time he becomes sullen whenever we tell him that his application is still being processed. He had applied many times in the past with many trips to JPN (National Registration Department) Lawas and JPN Miri. Only in 2013, he was given permanent resident status or MyPR,” Orpah said.
Sadly, without the citizenship, Basar is unable to receive benefits like free healthcare and welfare assistance. “As much as we want his dream to come true, he is too old to go to JPN back and forth. In fact, he said maybe they would only approve his application when he is no longer around. How much longer does he have to wait to be given his citizenship?”