Yong (standing) poses with Lee and Peter during their visit to the department.
KUCHING (March 10): The National Registration Department (JPN) has finally granted citizenship status to Peter Christopher Keli, now aged 18.
According to Pending assemblywoman Violet Yong, Peter was entrusted to a woman who goes by the family name Lee way back in 2006 when he was just a few months’ old.
“At the time, Lee was a coffeeshop cleaner. Peter was entrusted to her by his biological father, an Iban and Indonesian mother, and has since remained in her care.
“Despite Lee’s plea for his biological parents to bring him back home, they disregarded the request. As a result, Peter has been under the care of Lee all these years,” she said in a statement today.
Yong said she had been fighting tirelessly for Peter’s citizenship including closely following up with JPN’s Birth Registry Unit and Sarawak Council for Native Customs and Traditions all these years to ensure Peter’s citizenship application could succeed.
“We have finally achieved the desired outcome, obtaining Malaysian citizenship for Peter after receiving the approval letter from JPN’s Birth Registry Unit,” she said.
She added that this had brought great relief to Peter’s guardian, Lee, who is 75.
However, due to discrepancy of Peter’s name in the Guardianship Order and newly-extracted birth certificate, Yong said she will assist to file a court application for correction and promptly proceed with helping him apply for MyKad.
She said she had also assisted Lee in rectifying Peter’s birth certificate to include the adat customary marriage of his biological parents which took place before Peter’s birth.
This is so that Peter could be granted the citizenship status of his biological father, who is a Malaysian, explained Yong.
“Before the amendments of the relevant particulars in Peter’s birth certificate, Peter’s citizenship had to follow his biological mother – Indonesian nationality,” she added.
She said she was delighted over Lee’s success in securing citizenship for Peter, expressing her gratitude to the officers at the JPN’s Birth Registry Unit and Sarawak Council for Native Customs and Traditions for their invaluable assistance and services throughout the application process.