69 years of Merdeka, but Velmurugan is still waiting to be Malaysian

His case reflects what is often described as “generational statelessness”. Velmurugan was born in 1987 at Ladang Escot Ulu Bernam in Tanjung Malim, Perak. He and his mother, Balamah, grew up in poverty on a remote plantation estate, with little access to education.

Balamah was born in 1952, but her birth was only registered with the national registration department in 2019. Velmurugan’s birth, meanwhile, was registered only in 2011, when he was 24.

…