Skip to main content

At the sight of the approval letter, sadness turned into exuberance for 17-year-old Belle Chok

Belle pours her heart into her paintings. Photo: Angie Lim (2021)


By Shaun Ng


BELLE CHOK lived as a stateless child for 17 years until that status changed recently when she received positive news from the Ministry of Home Affairs (KDN). 



        Although the ministry staff had worked very hard to process her application for citizenship and hardly realised how important that piece of paper was to her, to the 17-year-old girl, the citizenship paper brought hope and great joy.


        Chok, who suffers from Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) requires medical treatment and expensive medicine, can now expect to receive free treatment from the Selayang hospital. 


        Before this, her father had to pay her high medical expenses, putting a strain on his finances.


        Her father works as a plumbing and electrical contractor, earning enough just to survive.


        Chok had to do oil painting to raise funds for her own medical bills while studying for her SPM. 


        After many rounds of rejection, she has finally received an approval for citizenship recently.


        “Thank You to YB Dato Seri Saifuddin (Nasution Ismail, Minister of Home Affairs), YB Hannah Yeoh (MP of Segambut) and YB Lim Lip Eng (former MP of Segambut), because I am now recognised as a full-fledged Malaysian,” she expressed her gratitude in a short letter. “You guys are my hero!” 


        Chok and many other stateless people have received their citizenships this year through the hard work of Saifuddin Nasution, his political secretaries, Yahaya Shaari (current) and Johari Kassim (former), and the dedicated team at both KDN and the Department of National Registration (JPN). This is made possible after the Madani government came into existence.


        Chok also took the opportunity to thank her Aunty, Angie Lim and a family friend who did everything they could to fight for her rights and raising her through her toughest moments.


        Chok is looking forward to traveling to places that have always fascinated her. “This is only possible because I am able to apply for a passport now,” she quipped. 


        “Before that, I need to pursue my education and hopefully enter into a programme of my choice.” 


        Despite suffering from SLE from a young age, Chok has learnt to be grateful for each and every day. 


        “My family has been very supportive towards me,” she remarked. “Moreover, with the awesome support and guidance from the doctors at the pediatric unit, at Selayang hospital, especially Dr Tang and his team of experts, I believe this is just the beginning of many good years ahead.”


The Star: Teen paints masterpieces to raise funds for medical treatment

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

IN ALL FOUR LANGUAGES: Ampun Tuanku, Kerajaan Madani sekarang dalam pandangan saya…

My text is in Malay, but the text in English, Mandarin and Tamil below is provided by Artificial Intelligence.” Teks saya dalam Bahasa Malaysia tetapi Teks bahasa Inggeris, Mandarin dan Tamil di bawah dibekalkan oleh Artificial Intelligence:  Daulat Tuanku, beribu-ribu ampun.  Bukan saja di Malaysia, rakyat mengalami kos saraan hidup yang tinggi tetapi selepas Pandemik Covid, banyak negara mengalami isu yang sama.  Secara ringkas, pinjaman negara meningkat selama ini disebabkan masalah 1MDB, pandemik dan interest yang perlu dibayar.  Berbanding dengan zaman DrM di mana elit yang mendapat bantuan, tetapi masih memerlukan bailout termasuklah anak Dr M sendiri.  Dalam era DSAI, ekonomi beliau yang berteraskan B40 dan M40, ini yang rakyat hendak lihat. Semua bantuan yang disalurkan kepada golongan ini akhirnya juga dapat mempertabatkan GDP dan ekonomi negara dan memanfaatkan rakyat Tuanku.  Dana yang digunakan untuk membantu raykat sekalian akhirnya juga akan m...
Post a Comment
Read more

My heart will go on

  It must be at least twenty years ago when I first encountered Malaysia’s very own Stevie Wonder, Colin Ng Soon Beng. It was during Chinese New Year, at the home of a mutual friend. Colin was only about ten years old then. His mother introduced him to me as a “special child.” She said, “Pick a song. We’ll play it for Colin to listen, and he will play it back for you.” I chose My Heart Will Go On from Titanic. To this day, Colin still remembers that it was the song he played for me. Born with multiple disabilities, Colin’s journey has been anything but ordinary. Being visually impaired, he could not learn music the way most children do. Yet God blessed him with an extraordinary gift: a razor-sharp ear. He could identify the brand of a photocopier or the model of a car simply by hearing its sound. His mother, Janet, devoted her life to nurturing his talent. After losing her husband when Colin was 24, she became not only a mother but also a father figure, chauffeur, and companion in ...
Post a Comment
Read more

DALAM EMPAT BAHASA/ IN FOUR LANGUAGES/在四种语言中/ நான்கு மொழிகளில்: A Piece of Good News Worth Celebratinng

Akhirnya, anak Sarawak ini — Soliman Wan — telah menerima kewarganegaraannya! Dilahirkan 52 tahun lalu di kawasan pedalaman Sarawak, bukan sesuatu yang mudah bagi ayah dan ibunya untuk ke bandar bagi mendaftarkan kelahriannya. Tambahan pula, pada waktu itu, ramai penduduk di Sabah dan Sarawak kurang memahami kepentingan dokumen rasmi sebagai bukti status kewarganegaraan. Soliman dilahirkan pada tahun 1974, ketika Malaysia baru berusia 13 tahun. Kefahaman mengenai kewarganegaraan masih belum begitu meluas, terutamanya dalam kalangan masyarakat yang tercicir daripada arus pembangunan dan sistem pendidikan negara. Kehidupan Soliman sebagai seorang pastor penuh dengan cabaran. Tanpa kewarganegaraan, beliau tidak dapat memiliki kad pengenalan, memohon pasport, membuka akaun bank, dan pergerakannya sangat terhad, malah di dalam negara sendiri. Gajinya terpaksa dibayar melalui akaun individu lain yang dipercayai. Kini, dengan penganugerahan kewarganegaraan ini, komuniti Kristian di gerejanya ...
Post a Comment
Read more