Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe by Email Finally, I belong here, says Jeyaraj
By Sonia Ramachandran
PETALING JAYA: Sept 24, 2007 will be etched forever in David Jeyaraj's memory.
It was the day he received his MyKad and citizenship. "From having no nation, I now feel I belong to this country. I'm also more confident and more secure. I have also opened a bank account and applied for a passport, things which I could only dream about before. "I can now also board a plane for the first time in my life," said Jeyaraj.
His newfound status is due mainly to Era Consumer, a non-governmental agency.
He also owes his citizenship to New Straits Times reader P. Ambika who was touched by his plight and took up his case.
Jeyaraj used to roam the streets with a picture of a woman holding a baby, asking everyone if they had seen her. The picture was that of his biological mother, Anbaiakie Muthan. After Jeyaraj was born on Aug 10, 1982, Anbaiakie went in search of her mother in Kulim, Kedah, only to find out that she had died. She then moved in with her mother's neighbours. Not long after that, Anbaiakie signed a consent of adoption order and left Jeyaraj behind. On the order, her name was spelt Anbaiakie Muthan but Jeyaraj's birth certificate showed his mother's name as Anbaiakie Moton. The identity card number and name of his father were not mentioned in the certificate.
When Jeyaraj was 12, he was issued a renewable green IC (a temporary resident identification card) but the government stopped issuing temporary identity cards in 2003. The National Registration Department (NRD) told him his biological mother had to come forward before he could be given citizenship. Using Anbaiakie's IC number on the adoption order, Jeyaraj, along with Era Consumer, managed to trace her to a shelter in Kuala Lumpur. He discovered that Anbaiakie had also given birth to two daughters. He managed to get a photograph of Anbaiakie from the shelter's administrator.
Era Consumer raised his plight with the NST which ran an article about him. Ambika who volunteers at the Lighthouse Drop-In Centre, which provides food for the poor and homeless, recognised Anbaiakie from the photograph in the NST article and called up. Arrangements were made for them to meet at the Lighthouse Drop-In Centre on June 18.
"Jeyaraj stood at one side and just observed his mother. I could see tears in his eyes. After dinner was over, we called Anbaiakie to meet Jeyaraj. She said she had been looking for her son for 10 years and was so happy to finally find him," she said.
Jeyaraj said the MyKad was among his most treasured possessions. "I now have something that I never thought I would have — my own MyKad. I can now finally get on with my life," he said. He thanked Era Consumer director Nanthini Ramalo for not giving up on the search for his mother.
Kudos to P.Ambika for the great work she has done!
It is people like her who make us believe that there is still hope for this country.
She is one of our nation’s heroines!
If only we had such people in government, life for many persons such as Jeyaraj would not be as hard as it is.
They ought to be recognized and appreciated by all.