Stateless no more for Merdeka boy Omar Mokhtar

Stateless youth Mohamad Omar Mokhtar has been given Malaysian citizenship, just weeks after his plight was highlighted, gaining the attention of the prime minister himself. 

In a letter dated Sept 12, the home ministry said Omar's application for citizenship had been approved. 

"You are requested to present yourself at any National Registration Department office for the issuance of a certificate of Malaysian citizenship," it added in the letter addressed to Omar's father. 

Omar, who was born on Merdeka Day in 2002, had been unable to apply for an identity card due to problems with the documentation of his birth mother, who came from Sabah.  

His father is also a Malaysian citizen. 

Omar's birth parents tied the knot in Selangor without a valid registration process. They later divorced, and in 2015 Omar was adopted by his aunt who lived in Kedah. 

At that point, the adoption application was approved by the National Registration Department. Omar's first birth certificate put him down as a Malaysian citizen. 

After finding his birth mother's identity card invalid, however, the department issued him a new certificate, this one stating that he was not a citizen. 

His plight was highlighted in a press conference on Aug 29 organised by rights group Lawyers for Liberty.

He was subsequently met by Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who presented him with a donation from the Keluarga Malaysia foundation early this month. 

Omar said then he was told that "good progress" had been made on his situation.