Learning to celebrate Raya without citizenship

Nurul Akashah is an orphan of Malay-Chinese heritage. At 26, she is struggling to survive without one of the most fundamental aspects of life: citizenship.

Akashah was born at Hospital Kuala Lumpur on Oct 25, 1997. But no records were available of her father, a former police officer who kept secret his marriage with her mother, an Indonesian Chinese.

Left to decipher the details of applying for citizenship on her own, she has sent two letters to the home minister and submitted applications to the National Registration Department and home ministry, all of which have failed.

She has trouble holding down a permanent job because of her status, but earns what she can teaching music classes.

Tears fill her eyes as she recalls her childhood, during which she and her three siblings were often abused by their father.

She has made no preparations for Hari Raya Aidilfitri but dreams of celebrating it one day like any other Malaysian.

She spends what time she can with one of her brothers, who lives with a stepsister in Wangsa Maju, Kuala Lumpur. Like her, he is not considered a Malaysian citizen.

Akashah relies on public transportation as she cannot apply for a driving licence without citizenship.

Apart from teaching music lessons, she also works part-time at a small food stall, taking the train to get there whenever she has a shift.

Once she arrives, she begins setting up the stall for the day.

A customer pays for a waffle from her stall in Putrajaya.

Akashah cooks a waffle for another customer. She only works at the stall when her employer needs her help, and is paid a daily wage in cash.

She is quick to learn and works hard at the stall.

After work, she drops by the Aidilfitri bazaar in Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman in Kuala Lumpur.

A sales assistant helps her try on a dress as she smiles shyly at the floor.

She eventually decides to buy it, handing over her hard-earned money but happy to have at least a small part of the Hari Raya celebration.