From child with Down syndrome to 83-year-old trader, Penang drive delivers long-awaited MyKad across generations



Teoh Zheng Yang (left) holds up his Malaysian MyKad and OKU card at the free Penang Citizenship Programme in George Town on September 7, 2025. — Bernama pic

Sunday, 07 Sep 2025 4:59 PM MYT


GEORGE TOWN, Sept 7 — Joy was clearly written on the face of a senior citizen here when he finally received his Malaysian identity card after living in the country for almost seven decades.

Chan Weng Poh, 83, was born in China and arrived in Penang at the age of 15 in 1957, after travelling by ship for a week to build a new life. At that time, Malaysia had not yet achieved independence.

He said this year’s National Day celebration held special significance for him because, after living in the country for 69 years, he finally received his blue identity card, marking one of the most meaningful moments of his life.

“Today, I am grateful to have finally become a Malaysian citizen. I moved here because life was very difficult in China at that time. Once I arrived, I learned about the culture, food, and Malay language, which enabled me to interact with the people easily.


“If you ask me which country I love more, China or Malaysia, I would undoubtedly choose Malaysia. Initially, I held various jobs before becoming a cloth seller, but I have not been trading for the past 20 years,” he said.



Chan Weng Poh, 83, shows off his MyKad at the Penang Citizenship Programme, George Town, September 7, 2025. — Bernama pic


He expressed gratitude to all parties, particularly the state government, for helping him obtain citizenship after a 20-year effort.

Chan was met after the Penang Citizenship Programme press conference, which was chaired by State Committee Chairman for Social Development, Welfare, and Non-Islamic Affairs, Lim Siew Khim. At the event, 14 individuals received their respective blue identity cards.

Chan’s wife, Ooi Lay Yong, 64, married him when she was 34 years old. They have two sons aged 26 and 33. The family has since returned to China twice to visit relatives.

“Uncle truly loves Malaysia. Today, he woke up early because he was so excited to receive the identity card he had been waiting for decades. His heart belongs to Malaysia, and every year he joyously celebrates the National Day with the people,” she said.

Another recipient of the identity card is 13-year-old Teoh Zheng Yang, who has Down syndrome and attended the ceremony with his father, Teoh Kwat Ching, 60.

Kwat Ching said his only child from a marriage with an Indonesian woman never had any identification documents because their matrimony was not officially registered.

His wife returned to her home country shortly after giving birth due to a misunderstanding.



Penang state executive councillor Lim Siew Khim (right) greets a recipient of a Malaysian citizenship identity card at the Penang Citizenship Programme, George Town, September 7, 2025. — Bernama pic



“I began applying for a birth certificate and identity card for him when he was six years old, after he was unable to enrol in school,” said Kwat Ching, whose son is now in the Special Education Integration Programme at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Jelutong.

Meanwhile, Lim said since its introduction in 2013, the Penang Citizenship Programme has processed 5,595 cases, including 3,504 applications for Malaysian citizenship, of which 579 resulted in a successful outcome.

He added that individuals born in Malaysia sometimes fail to receive citizenship due to various factors, such as the lack of a birth certificate, complicated parental status, or unregistered marriages. With the programme, many have successfully obtained citizenship.

“Successful cases included applications under Article 14, such as the registration of births abroad after more than a year, late registration of birth certificates, late registration of identity cards, entry permits, adoption of non-citizen children, verification of citizenship status, new naturalisation applications, corrections or amendments to birth certificate information, as well as Article 13 (illegitimate children),” he said.

Lim added that the Penang Citizenship Programme is offered free of charge, with officers and supervisors assisting in preparing documents, offering consultation, and coordinating with relevant departments. — Bernama