Laws of our land Part II: Stateless in Singapore

I like telling my friends about how I wasn’t a Singapore citizen until I was ten. Because they’d ask me, ‘Oh really, so where were you born?’ And I’d say ‘Singapore’. And they’d ask, ‘but how come you weren’t a citizen? What nationality were you then?’

No nationality! Stateless!, I’d say, real proud of my badge of honour.

But, but, but, you were born here.

My father was born in China and didn’t have a birth certificate. Mum was from Negri Sembilan. Dad and Mum didn’t move to Singapore till 1966, and so weren’t given the option of being citizens when independence suddenly came round. My older sister was born in 1966, but was granted citizenship for some reason (Clause 3), despite what the Constitution seemed to say (Clause 2c). So, in the family, we had Malaysian Mum, Singaporean Sis, and Stateless Dad, Brother and me.

I now know that my brother and I weren’t alone, and there are other Stateless Permanent Residents.

I remember having to travel on either my mother’s or grandmother’s Malaysian passport till I was five, and then being issued with this green booklet called a Certificate of Identity, which served as a passport.

Some time in 1979, Dad, my brother and I were granted citizenships even though Dad didn’t know enough Bahasa Melayu, our national language, to save his life (Clause 1c), and my parents applied for a shiny red passport for me, valid for 6 months at a time, just so I couldn’t just up and leave the country and not do national service.

I’ve been a citizen ever since, and I’m glad I can’t be banished or exiled from this country and its fine food. Unless of course this happens.


Nowsaday, born outside Singapore also can become citizen and get red passport.

Surf stop: Gulaman Life
iTunes’ party shuffle is playing a copy of: My Country – Randy Newman – Bad Love, of which I have the original CD and therefore didn’t steal music.
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24 responses to “Laws of our land Part II: Stateless in Singapore”

  1. even though I seemed to be the only one that was afforded this looking after – my sister and brother seemed pretty alright under the care of nannies. Ah Por’s mode of transport to and from Seremban was the Ekspres Rakyat, and because I was born stateless, (there was no such thing as an automatic right to citizenship by birth in 1969), it was pretty easy to stick my photo into her Malaysian passport and travel wherever she went – which was just two places, usually – Seremban and Singapore.

  2. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    Hmmm my uncle is still stateless now, even at the ripe old age of 70 years old… and I think he has no wish to become a Singapore citizen any time soon. *shrugs*

  3. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    Hmmm my uncle is still stateless now, even at the ripe old age of 70 years old… and I think he has no wish to become a Singapore citizen any time soon. *shrugs*

  4. Ah 9 Avatar

    hmm…u were stateless, and needn’t do n.s? So you volunteered instead? garang siah..hehe

  5. Ah 9 Avatar

    hmm…u were stateless, and needn’t do n.s? So you volunteered instead? garang siah..hehe

  6. Ah 9 Avatar

    oops i misread…so u had to do n.s….hehe

    ok lah…non-volunteer also garang mah. Heheheheehhe

  7. Ah 9 Avatar

    oops i misread…so u had to do n.s….hehe

    ok lah…non-volunteer also garang mah. Heheheheehhe

  8. A.Ball.of.Yarn Avatar

    A great post. 🙂 I’ve learnt much from just following all the links in this entry today.

  9. A.Ball.of.Yarn Avatar

    A great post. 🙂 I’ve learnt much from just following all the links in this entry today.

  10. littlecartnoodles Avatar

    My family also got chapalang residency status :

    Me : Singapore citizen
    Father : Malaysian citizen/S’pore PR
    Mother : Malaysian citizen/S’pore social visit pass
    Sister : Malaysian citizen + must fill in white card to enter S’pore cos got no employment/studies

  11. littlecartnoodles Avatar

    My family also got chapalang residency status :

    Me : Singapore citizen
    Father : Malaysian citizen/S’pore PR
    Mother : Malaysian citizen/S’pore social visit pass
    Sister : Malaysian citizen + must fill in white card to enter S’pore cos got no employment/studies

  12. Merenwen Avatar

    My dad was born in 1954, so his birth cert actually states that he is a British citizen! But of course, post-65, he became offically Singaporean… his birth cert nationality wasn’t changed though, I wonder why.

  13. Merenwen Avatar

    My dad was born in 1954, so his birth cert actually states that he is a British citizen! But of course, post-65, he became offically Singaporean… his birth cert nationality wasn’t changed though, I wonder why.

  14. Mr Miyagi Avatar

    At the time of his birth, British national. That’s all that matters.

  15. Mr Miyagi Avatar

    At the time of his birth, British national. That’s all that matters.

  16. Mandrake Avatar

    I was born in Malaysia but my birth cert was from Singapore. Apparently I was one of those rare few cases (guy at Immigration told me)

  17. Mandrake Avatar

    I was born in Malaysia but my birth cert was from Singapore. Apparently I was one of those rare few cases (guy at Immigration told me)

  18. Shion Avatar

    Same story as my mum !

    She just got her citizenship last year , after being in Singapore for a good 60 years !

  19. Shion Avatar

    Same story as my mum !

    She just got her citizenship last year , after being in Singapore for a good 60 years !

  20. […] Ah Por’s mode of transport to and from Seremban was the Ekspres Rakyat, and because I was born stateless, (there was no such thing as an automatic right to citizenship by birth in 1969), it was pretty easy to stick my photo into her Malaysian passport and travel wherever she went – which was just two places, usually – Seremban and Singapore. […]

  21. […] Por’s mode of transport to and from Seremban was the Ekspres Rakyat, and because I was born stateless, (there was no such thing as an automatic right to citizenship by birth in 1969), it was pretty […]

  22. […] Por’s mode of transport to and from Seremban was the Ekspres Rakyat, and because I was born stateless, (there was no such thing as an automatic right to citizenship by birth in 1969), it was pretty […]

  23. […] was only when I was in Pri­mary Four that I learned I had not been a cit­i­zen of Sin­ga­pore. That year (1979), my par­ents took my brother and I down to Empress Place, I think it was, and I […]

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