Citizenship joy for Nurul Arini after decade-long wait
KOTA BARU: After years of uncertainty surrounding her citizenship status, 18-year-old Nurul Arini Abdullah finally received her identity card (MyKad) recently, personally handed over by Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
Nurul Arini from Port Dickson, Negri Sembilan, and recently completed her Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia with 9As including 7A+, was born to a non-Malaysian biological mother.
However, she was adopted and raised by a Malaysian mother and a permanent resident father.
The youngest of two siblings, she said her first citizenship application was submitted in 2013 but was rejected. She submitted a second application in 2018, which was finally approved in 2023.
"I feel incredibly grateful and overjoyed. This means everything to me.
"It opens the door to my future, as I've always dreamed of becoming a doctor," said Nurul Arini, who is currently working part-time at a relative's coffee stall while awaiting opportunities for further studies.
Speaking to the New Straits Times, Nurul Arini said she was so happy with the approval that she decided to express her feelings on her TikTok account.
"I didn't expect the clip to go viral. Later, I received a call from the National Registration Department in Port Dickson, advising me to collect the official approval letter from the Home Ministry in Putrajaya.
"I never expected the Home Minister himself, Datuk Seri Saifuddin, would personally hand over my long-awaited identity card earlier this month," she said.
The former SMK Pasir Panjang student said she now hopes to pursue medicine at either Universiti Malaya or the International Islamic University Malaysia.
Meanwhile, Saifuddin, in a Facebook post, said Nurul Arini's case was among tens of thousands of citizenship applications that his ministry had successfully resolved.
He said citizenship was not merely about official documents but about a future, life opportunities, a sense of security, and the feeling of truly belonging to the land one calls home.
"Every application comes with a dream. The dream to study like everyone else, to work without barriers, and to live with dignity as a Malaysian," he added.
The minister reaffirmed the ministry's commitment to continue addressing pending applications, assuring that the struggle to resolve such cases is far from over.
"This is a fight we will not abandon," he said.
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