Soliman vows to help other stateless people secure citizenship
PETALING JAYA: At 52 years of age, Soliman Wan has lived his entire life in Malaysia but without citizenship.
Born in June 1974 in a remote village in Sarawak, his parents from the Kenyah community never knew about the necessity of having documents.
But happy days are here for Soliman, a pastor.
He finally got his citizenship approved on Jan 19 after a three-decade attempt to officially call Malaysia his home.
His MyKad arrived on Jan 29.
“My wife and friends cried when I got it. But the wave of emotions only hit me the next day. I bawled my eyes out upon waking up,” he said in an interview.
He was in disbelief when he received the citizenship.
“I couldn’t believe it. It was a dream come true. I had thought I was going to die without ever getting citizenship.”
The father of two said he had known no other home in his life.
“I loved Malaysia even when I was stateless and even more so now as I can finally proudly say I am Malaysian.”
Soliman explained that he had been stateless since birth due to the remoteness of his community and neither of his parents were aware of the importance of proper identity documentation.
This left Soliman and his three other siblings stateless despite having birth certificates.
“My father’s applications for citizenship throughout his life were rejected up until he died five years ago. My 70-year-old mother only obtained her birth certificate recently and was just called for a citizenship interview.”
His siblings, unfortunately, remain stateless with only documentation for temporary residence, he added.
This lack of citizenship had greatly impacted Soliman’s life.
For instance, he was denied travel to Negri Sembilan about 30 years ago to continue his matriculation studies.
“I was devastated as the whole reason I was studying was to help my family improve their status. I was crying when I went to the Sarawak Immigration Department to request citizenship.
“Fortunately they heard my case and granted me a special letter allowing me to travel between the peninsula and Sarawak,” he recalled.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, he studied hard and eventually graduated from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia in biochemistry where he was then able to find work at a private bio-diagnostic centre.
Yet, Soliman’s struggle for citizenship continued to cause him much anguish.
He was unable to take any loans to purchase a house or even a car.
“It’s like being a part of a family but the family rejects you. Not many people can understand the emotional pain and impact of such an experience,” he said.
Even his Malaysian children could not apply for scholarships due to him being stateless. This despite his wife Augusta Jubik, 51, being a Malaysian.
Jubik is well aware of her husband’s frustrations throughout the years.
“There was the emotional turmoil of constantly having his citizenship application rejected,” she said.
But having finally received his Malaysian citizenship, Soliman said he would now use his status to help other stateless people the best he can through non-governmental organisations.
“My message to the other stateless people is to not give up.
“Don’t be afraid to make your case known to others as there are many people and organisations out there who can help you,” he said.
