The Straits Times | Stateless in Singapore - video Dailymotion

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Ricqo Rafiezuwan has lived in Singapore his entire life yet he is stateless.   This means the 25-year-old has no NRIC, no passport and no nationality.   It also means that Ricqo is not entitled to subsidised education, healthcare and housing.   WATCH MORE: https://thestartv.com/c/news SUBSCRIBE: https://cutt.ly/TheStar LIKE: https://fb.com/TheStarOnline

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00:00My name is Rico. I'm 25 this year. I was born in Singapore, but I'm stateless. I'm stateless

00:10because my mother was stateless. Who brought me up is my mother's friend. I have never

00:16went to school before. I feel like I'm a ghost.

00:20Despite living in Singapore all his life, Rico has no NRIC, no passport and no nationality.

00:27While some stateless people have successfully applied for permanent residency, Rico is one

00:31of around 200 individuals permitted to live here through a special pass. But the pass

00:36does not come with the privileges many may take for granted, whether education, employment,

00:42housing or healthcare.

00:46I found out I'm stateless, it was 2019. I hang out with my friends, then a bunch of

00:52police came to me and asked about my IC. That's why I'm worried. So I said I don't

00:57have an IC. Then they thought I'm a criminal. Then from there, they asked me to go through

01:03MP. That's where I get a special pass.

01:09For me, this special pass cannot do anything with my life also. Because what I really need

01:13is a citizenship. Living in Singapore is not easy. A lot of things I cannot do that normal

01:19people can do. I don't have a bank account and I cannot even travel out of country. I

01:25don't want to vote also, but I cannot vote. You feel very useless somehow.

01:32Rico acknowledges he is far behind many his age, yet he is determined to improve his chances

01:37of citizenship.

01:38To be very honest, I feel very stupid. Yeah, because all my friends are very smart, clever,

01:44have education, that kind of thing. I have nothing. I have never went to school before.

01:49I never stepped in school. What they say, PSLE, that kind of thing, because I don't

01:52even know what is really that. I don't really care at that point of time, because I'm very

01:58naughty. Now, all I think is I want to go down and play soccer with my friends.

02:03Yeah, a lot of things I don't know in Singapore, but I try my best to learn everything on my

02:08own. My handwriting is still not good. I'm still learning how to talk. Yeah, my English

02:14also is not that good, but I'm still learning also. Because I know you live in Singapore,

02:19you have to do something about it. You cannot always be like this.

02:24In early 2024, Rico sought help at a family service centre run by the Foundation of Rotary

02:29Clubs, Singapore.

02:31Try my best to get a citizenship. Maybe serve NS. I will do anything to get a citizenship.

02:38I live in Singapore, but I cannot do anything like normal people do, because I still don't

02:44How to say, a lot of people are looking down on me. So, me and my social worker, we go through

02:50MP again, ICA, lawyer, but my case is not easy. So, we're just still waiting to see how it goes.

03:00If I get a Singapore citizenship, what will I do? First thing first, I will be very happy

03:05and celebrate, because it's a big thing for me. I will find a job, because I need money.

03:12I need to support whoever my love wants. I will go out of country with my friends,

03:16my dream for very long. Yeah, travel. I want to get married. Yeah, I really want that.

03:23I want my child to be a better person and smart, not like me.

The Straits Times | Stateless in Singapore

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