69 years of Merdeka, but Velmurugan is still waiting to be Malaysian

 Born and raised in Perak, this 39-year-old remains stateless as he struggles to support his wife and five children.

Denied citizenship, Velmurugan holds the birth certificate that continues to define him as a non-citizen in the only country he has ever known. (Moganraj Villavan @ FMT Lifestyle)

BIDOR:

As Malaysians across the country wave the Jalur Gemilang this Merdeka, Velmurugan has little reason to celebrate. Born and raised here, the 39-year-old has spent much of his life feeling like a ghost in his own country.

His case reflects what is often described as “generational statelessness”. Velmurugan was born in 1987 at Ladang Escot Ulu Bernam in Tanjung Malim, Perak. He and his mother, Balamah, grew up in poverty on a remote plantation estate, with little access to education.

Balamah was born in 1952, but her birth was only registered with the national registration department in 2019. Velmurugan’s birth, meanwhile, was registered only in 2011, when he was 24.

Those late registrations contributed to the documentation problems that followed.

His father, who was not legally married to Balamah, left when Velmurugan was just a year old and has since died. Balamah’s citizenship status remained “belum ditentukan” (yet to be determined) throughout her life, while Velmurugan’s birth certificate records him as “bukan warganegara” (non-citizen).

In a devastating turn, Balamah died two years ago before her status could be resolved, leaving Velmurugan to continue the fight alone.

For at least seven years, he has navigated a maze of bureaucracy, eventually taking the government to court in 2024. He lost in the High Court and again in the Court of Appeal in July this year.

Velmurugan and his family live in a rented home, where daily life is shaped by uncertainty, low income and the burden of his unresolved status. (Moganraj Villavan @ FMT Lifestyle)

“It’s very hurtful. Even when I go through tolls or pump petrol or use the RM100 SARA aid to buy groceries, I can only use my wife’s IC,” he told FMT Lifestyle through tears.

Fortunately, the cycle of statelessness has not been passed on to Velmurugan’s five children, who are Malaysian citizens through their mother. Still, the lack of citizenship has severely limited his ability to provide for them.

“I’ve tried begging people for a job. Foreign individuals with passports are working here, but with this birth certificate, I can’t get a job because it says ‘bukan warganegara’,” he said.

He is not even able to open a bank account. “They say, ‘How can we pay you EPF or Socso without a bank account?’ So the only work I can do is pick up loose fruit in oil palm plantations or collect scrap metal with others.”

Today, Velmurugan lives with his family in a rented house, sometimes earning as little as RM30 a day to make ends meet. Sometimes, the family makes plain porridge and lives on that for days.

If they really don’t have anything to eat, his wife, S Manimala , asks her relatives for help.

To compound matters, their six-year-old daughter was diagnosed with a brain tumour. Although her operation was successful, she will likely remain on chemotherapy until early next year.

Manimala has stood by her husband through years of uncertainty, while raising their five Malaysian-born children under increasingly difficult circumstances. (Moganraj Villavan @ FMT Lifestyle)

Manimala, who has health complications of her own, said she knew about her husband’s status before they married in 2012.

“I already knew he didn’t have an IC when I married him, but I believed that one day he would get it,” she shared.

As a Malaysian, Manimala said Merdeka no longer carries much meaning for her family. “I just see Merdeka as another day. I don’t feel like celebrating when our situation is like this.”

A legal battle for belonging

Parti Socialis Malaysia chairman Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj has supported the family for years and continues to push for solutions for them and others facing similar struggles.

He said the case highlights a fundamental disagreement over how the Federal Constitution’s citizenship provisions should be interpreted.

Jeyakumar argues that under Section 1(e), the key question is whether Velmurugan was born in Malaysia without being a citizen of another country.

The Court of Appeal, however, held that Velmurugan had to establish his lineage through his mother and prove her citizenship status at the time of his birth.

Balamah’s citizenship status went unresolved despite DNA tests confirming that she was the biological sister of siblings registered as Malaysians.

Despite his struggles, Velmurugan remains determined to care for his children, including a young daughter still undergoing treatment. (Moganraj Villavan @ FMT Lifestyle)

“I really hope the authorities will come to their senses. Denying these people what they should be given just stunts their development. How can he provide for his children?” Jeyakumar said.

“And if people like them turn to alcohol or substance abuse, it’s adding to our problems – we should be helping them become useful citizens to themselves and the country.”

Velmurugan said discussions are now under way about possibly granting him a MyKAS, a temporary residence identity card. But it comes with limitations, including a five-year expiry, no voting rights, and restricted access to government services and loans.

“I’m not looking for financial help. The only thing I want is my blue IC. I was born here, too. Elections come once in five years, so I want to be able to vote at least once,” he said.

This year, Malaysia marks 69 years of independence. But for Velmurugan, a problem that began before Merdeka continues to shape his life today. - FMT