By Jaythaleela K
MIRI, May 17: A seven-year-old boy from Batu Niah, Jack Chin Jin Jie is now no longer a stateless person, as he is finally a Malaysian citizen after receiving a recognition certificate status from the Home Ministry in Putrajaya.
The Home Affairs Ministry on April 12 this year has agreed to register the boy, as a citizen of Malaysia.
This morning, the boy, accompanied by his grandmother, Liu Yen Len, 63, and father, Chin Shin Chow, 36, came to Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) Piasau branch office here to thank Assistant Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Sarawak Datuk Sebastian Ting for his help in assisting the family and the boy to apply for the citizenship status.
Earlier on, they had gone to the National Registration Department (JPN) at Miri Urban Transformation Centre (UTC) at Jalan Kwangtung here to collect his citizenship certificate.
According to Ting, who is also SUPP’s Piasau chairman, when met at his office here today, SUPP Piasau had written and sent in the relevant documents to support the boy’s application for his citizenship.
“We had issued few letters to support the boy’s application and in November 2020, we had followed up on the matter, and then on April this year, the Home Ministry has granted his application,” Ting opined.
The boy was born to a Malaysian father, Chin who is a cook in Batu Niah, and a mother from Indonesia.
The boy is the eldest child of two siblings, with his Malaysian brother aged three.
Jack Chin, when asked how he is feeling upon receiving his status as a Malaysian citizen, said: “I am happy, and thank you Grandpa (he was referring to Datuk Sebastian Ting) for helping me.” — DayakDaily
