JAKARTA - Malaysian Home Affairs Minister Hamzah Zainuddin admitted that he was touched by the story of Rohana Abdullah (22), a descendant of an Indonesian citizen (WNI) who was abandoned by his mother and then cared for by a Chinese citizen since the age of two months.
"I was touched when I was informed about this case last Sunday," Hamzah said in his Facebook post quoted by Antara, Sunday, January 16.
The politician from the United Malaysia Indigenous Party has asked his employees to investigate the veracity of the information before making any decisions regarding Rohana's future.
According to information, Rohana, who currently does not have citizenship, has applied for Malaysian citizenship in 2016 but has not been processed until now.
Harian Metro previously reported that 22 years ago, Rohana was abandoned by her mother who was forced to return to Indonesia in a kindergarten where her mother worked as a janitor.
A teacher at the school, Chee Hoi Lan (83), was moved to treat Rohana like her own child. Although not a Muslim, Chee sent Rohana to the Fardu Ain (Kafa) Elementary Class - an Islamic elementary school in Malaysia - using his own money so that he could get to know Islam.
In a video uploaded on YouTube, Rohana seems fluent in Mandarin and Malay.
"I love him like my own child. Since childhood, I make sure he eats halal food and performs worship as a Muslim to this day," said Chee.
Chee said he hoped that before he died he could see Rohana married, working and living a happy life.
He has also submitted Rohana's citizenship to the Chairman of the Resident Representative Council of the Batu Zone, Gulam Muszaffar Ghulam Mustakim.
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