Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe by Email JOHOR BARU: V. Thirumaran cannot do many things that most people take for granted.
He cannot get a job, open a bank account, apply for a drivers' licence or get treatment at a clinic.
Even his "marriage" in 2005 could not be registered at the civil registry.
The 24-year-old's problems lie in the fact that he does not have an identity card.
The woes of the son of a Singaporean father and Indian national mother began at 12 when he applied for an identity card.
However, he could not get it renewed at the Johor Baru National Registration Department after that.
More than 30 visits and a lot of heartache later, Thirumaran is at his wits' end.
In March, a staff member told him to "wait until the government releases a new policy for temporary resident pass holders".
Thirumaran said: "When I had the temporary pass, I was at least able to find a job in a factory. But now I can't even get a job to support my family."
Thirumaran, whose son was born five months ago, does not have his citizenship stated on his birth certificate.
"I have been forced to become a barber, which brings me about RM30 a day.
"I am confused. I do not know what else to do. I cannot find a better job. I hope someone can help me."
He is not alone.
There are at least 20,000 Mal-aysians of Indian origin who do not have MyKads, birth certificates and marriage registration certificates.
The Johor National Registration Department declined to comment.
