Technician Left In The Lurch With No Country To Call Home

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Mary Jane Abdullah is worried her MyKas will not be renewed, like what happened to Masri Hassan (right).KUALA LUMPUR: Freelance technician Masri Hassan walks around the city with a file containing decades-old documents, including the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) certificate he received about 25 years ago.
The Sandakan born 43-year-old did not always have to do this. For years, he enjoyed the benefits that come with holding a temporary resident card (MyKas), commonly referred to as the Green IC.
MyKas is given to people born in Malaysia but whose nationality cannot be determined. In 2018, the Dewan Rakyat was told that there were 33,688 MyKas holders in the country.
However, many, like Masri, now find themselves in a quandary as the government has not renewed their MyKas, making life much harder for them. Without it, Masri faces challenges applying for jobs and opening a bank account.
He now carries around his SPM certificate and his father’s old, worn-out immigration permit to help him explain his situation when stopped by the police.
“My father came from Indonesia to this country with a permit before independence and I was born in Sandakan,” he told FMT.
“All this while, I had the Green IC. I even sat for my SPM. But somehow, in 2019, I couldn’t renew my MyKas anymore. JPN (the national registration department) didn’t give any reason for the rejection.”
These are some of the documents Masri carries with him everywhere.Another MyKas holder, masseuse Mary Jane Abdullah, 43, said she was concerned that her identity card, which is still active, would not be renewed.
Mary, who was also born in Sabah, said she knew of many who faced the predicament Masri was facing.
She told FMT she was hoping the government would give her permanent residency in Malaysia.
She said her grandfather had lived in Tawau, where she was born, even before Sabah gained independence.
She has been working in Kuala Lumpur since 2002. Before that, she lived in Zamboanga in the Philippines after the Sabah government temporarily suspended the renewal of MyKas, leaving her in a difficult situation.
“Over there, I was like a beggar,” she said. “I sought help from the church for food and accommodation. When I came across the police, they asked for my documents.
“The Filipino authorities asked what I was doing in the Philippines. They said I should go back to Malaysia.
“Later, with the help of the locals there, I returned to Sabah on a perilous journey using illegal routes.”
She subsequently managed to renew her MyKas.
FMT is attempting to seek a comment from JPN. - FMT

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