Sweet victory for Lina Samuel's children in citizenship battle

It's a sweet victory for the children of late Lina Samuel, a cancer patient from Lawas, Sarawak who made headlines earlier this year, in their battle for citizenship as they are now confirmed Malaysian citizens.

According to Parti Bangsa Malaysia’s (PBM) Agnes Padan, all four of Lina’s children were granted MyKads last month.

“No words can be expressed when finally all four children of the late cancer patient Lina have received their MyKads.

“Special thanks to (Home Minister) Saifuddin Nasution Ismail for his attention and effort in solving their citizenship issue, (as well as) the Sarawak National Registration Department and the media that covered the issue,” she posted on Facebook on Nov 24.

The Borneo Post previously reported that all four of Lina’s children received their birth certificates in June, affirming that they were Malaysian citizens.

Lina, who passed away in April, had alleged that her identity card was seized by a National Registration Department (NRD) officer in November 2022, when she visited the department to change her address in the lead-up to the 15th general election.

However, Saifuddin had said Lina’s MyKad was impounded by the NRD on Oct 8, 2019, because it was found that she is not a citizen as her children's birth certificates showed that her nationality is Indonesian.

Lina was from the Lun Bawang group.

After a meeting with officers from Kuching NRD, she was issued a temporary MyKad, which would allow her to travel by air or land from Lawas to Miri where she was being treated for colon cancer.