In 2014 and 2015, Ragu and his daughters cycled over 2,000km across Peninsular Malaysia to promote patriotism and highlight his plight.
AFTER winning a 33-year battle to get his identity card, R. Ragu, 48, is now helping stateless people who are facing the same hardships he endured.
When he was four years old, Ragu was abandoned by his parents in Parit Buntar.
As his birth had not been recorded, he didn’t have a birth certificate.
Ragu was under the Social Welfare Department’s care until he was 16.
“I had been trying to get an identity card since I was 12. I read law books and learned about citizenship (rights),” he said.
Ragu’s case first came to light in 2008 when he slept outside the Istana Kinta for three days in his bid to meet the former Sultan of Perak, Sultan Azlan Shah, to explain his plight.
Sultan Azlan had then ordered the National Registration Department to issue Ragu a temporary resident identity card (MyKas).
For decades, the Ipoh resident embarked on several long-distance walks and bicycle rides with the Jalur Gemilang to promote patriotism and highlight his plight to seek citizenship.
These included a 2012 expedition where he walked 980km from Melaka to Perlis.
In 2014 and 2015, Ragu and his daughters cycled over 2,000km across Peninsular Malaysia.
In 2018, when Ragu and his teenage son R. Surya walked 1,400km from Johor to Perlis, they secured a spot in Malaysia Book of Records for the Longest Distance Walk by a Duo.
Finally at the age of 45, Ragu received his MyKad.
Ragu said many people had sought his advice on the process to get citizenship.
He said that many contacted him via his Facebook page “Voice Stateless” and also through some non-governmental organisations.
“I have assisted more than 100 people in the last two years in getting their MyKad or birth certificate, because I know the pain they are going through,” he said.
Ragu said that many stateless people were not aware of the proper application procedures and they made many futile trips to the National Registration Department.
“Some even get scolded and after that they don’t want to go back to the department, as they are afraid of being humiliated again.
“When they reach out to me, I try to help them based on my experience and advise them.
“I explain to them step by step what to do, to assist them with the correct way to submit their applications,” he added.
Explaining why he walked and cycled around the country, Ragu said it was a good platform to highlight his cause.
He said that on his journeys he met many people and shared his story with them to make them aware of how even those born in the country to Malaysian parents could end up stateless.
He said he never gave up applying and appealing to the government, to secure his citizenship.
The times that he had wanted to give up, his wife encouraged him to keep trying.
“One day, I received a letter from the authorities. I was so ecstatic when my application was approved.
“However, I can never get back the time lost due to the citizenship issues. Because of not having an identity card, it was difficult for me to have a stable career or even apply for a bank loan.”
He was also unable to register his marriage.
Subsequently, he faced complications registering the births of his five children and when they needed his identity document to sit for school examinations.
