Once, I walked out of school after the principal made a speech during assembly about foreign students messing up the school system. 'Go back to where you came from,' she said. It was mainly aimed at the poor children of Indonesian laborers but I felt it too. I walked out the front gate, nobody stopped me. My parents met the principal and talked me into going back. I was one of the coveted 'pelajar cemerlang' who would raise the school statistics. Of course the principal wanted me there. My academic performance nullified the extra effort in paperwork. I didn't have a proper citizenship, just like the children of the Indonesian laborers. But I could stay because I got good grades. I stayed because it was my SPM year even though I felt sick doing so.

Our family has lived here for 21 years. My father is a citizen because his family has been here since before Merdeka. My mother still has not receiver her PR status despite going through the interview twice. I only got Malaysian citizenship when I was 20 years old after a long and tiring battle with JPN.

Why Malaysia? My family's life is built here. We're struggling middle-class. My father is old. This is our home. Even if some people point to us and shout racist remarks, this is our home.

awaiting your help,thank you!

KL LIM

they say bangla, sy cni pnya org. wtf, u r local, cz u get ic by born, hey stupid, wt u achieve by urself? nothing. u r local malaysin that wasnt great deal. its natural. but they dnt try to realize.

but i really happy to read ur post. some1 shud describe the true color of some bloody local arrogant.

hws ur life goin??

All the best.

Another unfortunate thing Tiara, you are not a constitutional Malay. That is one thing to note.

I sympathize with your plight. Really, I do. The concept of race or nationality is a birth lottery, something which isn't a choice.

That being the case, I think there's a demarcation between the nation called Malaysia and the Malaysian government. I think the abject discrimination that you face was primarily from the Malaysian government.

I do concede that there are certain pockets of society that do discriminate base on race as you have gone through in school. I don't deny that. However, most people are conditioned to behave that way. Intolerance to difference.

But why? I blame the Malaysian government. Race based politics accentuates the racial divide. It's always an us (one race) vs them (another race) mentality.

Every single day, race plays a factor, especially in core issues, amplified by the media. People like you and me, who are different are victimized.

I feel your pain. But I'm I love this country. And I will stay. Not for travel benefits or anything. It's because if people like us don't stay, we would have failed this beloved nation which is my tanah tumpah darah.

You ARE a Malaysian.

In fact, you are more deserving to be called a Malaysian than most of us.

As Sam said to Frodo in LOTR – it's worth fighting for.

So let's not lose hope, but keep fighting. For our nation, for our Malaysia.

Maybe you have met the wrong Malaysians in your early life, and hopefully your journey as a Malaysian will become less bumpier than this. Whatever it is, be strong and don't let the third world mentality of some small thinking Malaysians let you down.

May the force be with you ;)

As for CharlesKiwi, hey, not everyone born in Europe is granted a citizenship! E.g. the Turkish migrant- or guestworkers etc and their coming-of-age children in many EU countries also have to sit for german/french/etc language exams and citizenship tests where one is tested on many historical, policy, constitutional, institutional, administrative, municipal law etc. Kids have been deported by EU countries to a land they have never known…. . Unfair, but these have happened.

Flip-flop policy by the government on PR and citizenship applications results in uncertainty. Corruption is reportedly rife ('undertable money') for successful 'applications'. Xenophobia of anything 'coloured' is also high (anything 'white' would be on a near-God pedestal). Etc.

Tiara, you are a bright person. Never mind the blue IC and stuff. Go forth in this world and walk your mission in life. Brave womyn, salute!

Did you even read the article?

This is just so the present regime is not voted out of the government and this is how Umno stay in power and the pilots to remain the majority.

You are so lucky that you don't have to wait for 30 to 40 years for a decision for application to become a citizen. Remember the next time just think of the millions of Malaysian born red I/C card holders. They would have immigrated only if they can even going back to China or India if they can and why do you want to be Malaysian ? The country is about to go bankrupt and it may be then too late to regret !