107-year-old woman receives MyKad; Huang Jin Lian wishes to visit relatives in China

Sin Chew Daily, May 18, 2016

Putrajaya, May 17 – At the age of 107, Huang Jin Lian has finally got her identity card – MyKad and became the oldest person to have received Malaysian citizenship thus far.

After waiting for so many years, she has finally realized her hope, upon receiving her MyKad, Huang Jin Lian said excitedly: “I can visit my relatives in China now.”

Migrated to Malaya from Fujian province at the age of 46

Huang Jin Lian arrived in Malaya from Fujian province, China in 1955 at the age of 46, and has been staying here for more than a century. She had failed five times in her application for citizenship and had at one time given up the idea of applying for the citizenship.

She told reporter that she was sleepless the night before she was going to collect her MyKad because of over excitement.

She said she did not have the chance to travel abroad ever since she came to Malaysia, she was keen to visit her relatives in China together with her grandchildren, to meet with her family members and friends who have not seen each other for more than half a century.

“I feel sad that I haven’t been able to return to China for several decades, I hope I can go back to hometown in China to visit my family members and friends, I still have a brother and a daughter living in China.”

Remembering the past, her eyes were red and she sobbed out the story of her father’s death when she was still a kid, she used to work as a wood cutter and had also helped her mother selling tofu to support her young siblings.

“When I arrived in Malaya my life here was also tough, during that time I have no house and became odd job worker and also help others to wash clothes.”

One of her sons also possesses red IC

She said two of her sons had followed her to Malaya, one of them had successfully applied for citizenship after independence, but she and another son were still holding red identity card; she hoped that her son would also be getting citizenship by successfully applying for MyKad so that they can travel to China together.

Huang Jin Lian doesn’t know how to speak Mandarin, with the help of her grandson Liu Wei Jie, she had related her story in Hokkien dialect.

Daughter-in-law: Seeking Gerakan’s help after reading about the news

Huang Jin Lian although is already 107 years old, her thinking is still clear and is able to walk with the help of walking stick. In sharing her way to longevity, she said she was very careful with her diet which consisted mainly of oats, coarse rice powder and bread with little rice.

Huang Jin Lian’s youngest daughter-in-law Lin Xiu Li said through the newspaper report, they came to know that Gerakan was helping the public to apply for citizenship, so they approached the party for help in end of last year. Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department cum Gerakan national president Datuk Mah Siew Keong had visited her in March to inform her about the good news regarding the approval of her mother-in-law’s citizenship.

She told reporter that the family had planned to bring Huang Jin Lian to China so that her wish could be fulfilled.

Huang Jin Lian was accompanied to the National Registration Department (NRD) in Putrajaya to collect her MyKad by Gerakan public complaints bureau chief Lau Hoi Keong.

Official: Huang is the oldest person to get the IC

NRD MyKad division director Zahrollail Zainal handed over the MyKad to Huang Jin Lian personally at his office today; he said Huang Jin Lian was the oldest person to get MyKad thus far.

He said earlier there was a 120-year-old man applied for MyKad but the application was rejected due to insufficient data.

Lau Hoi Keong said Gerakan would bring good news to another batch of senior applicants for citizenship aged above 70; currently the NRD was processing the name list, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid and Mah Siew Keong would hand over the MyKad to the successful applicants.