SINGAPORE: In a lengthy Facebook post, a woman wrote that she has frequently been asked how she could bear giving up her Malaysian citizenship, adding that she wrestled with the decision for years.

She shared her “honest reflections” after giving up the blue Permanent Resident IC for a red Singapore passport in an anonymous May 5 post on 我的cpf够用吗.

It had not been an easy decision to make, she explained, writing, “After all, no one wants to abandon their roots, but life is, ultimately, a matter of reality.”

She went on to list a number of items that factored into her decision, for those who may feel “torn,” as she had, or were simply curious about why she did it.

Her first reason has to do with the fact that her small hometown offers her no real livelihood, and she would have had to move to somewhere like Kuala Lumpur or Penang in order to build her career. Since she’s been living in Singapore since she was 18, moving to a city in Malaysia “would feel just as much like a (moving to a) strange, foreign land.”

Of Singapore, she wrote: “The prime years of my youth, the streets most familiar to me, and my closest circle of friends—they are all right here. In a way, Singapore has become the city that truly raised me.”

Another significant factor is her son, whom she called her “greatest vulnerability.” As a Permanent Resident, bringing up her child in Singapore would have meant “facing expenses so exorbitant they made me question the very meaning of life.”

She did consider, however, sending her son to be raised in her hometown in Malaysia as a “left-behind child” while she continued to work in Singapore, but ultimately decided against it as she wanted to be around for her child’s formative years.

“I wanted to be able to hold him in my arms every day when I returned home, rather than just staring at him through a video call screen. To ensure my entire family could remain together in stability and peace, changing my citizenship status became the most practical path forward,” she wrote.

Another reason why she decided to acquire Singapore citizenship is that the city-state taught her the meaning of fairness, as people are treated with “equality for all.”

She explained that hard work does not  always translate directly into opportunity in Malaysia due to certain uncrossable invisible barriers, “structural or otherwise.”

“I want my child to grow up competing in a fair environment—one where he isn’t forced to take a backseat simply because of his ‘identity,’” she added.

Lastly, the post author wrote that she learned from the COVID-19 pandemic how unpredictable life is.

“You never know which will arrive first—an unexpected tragedy or tomorrow itself. Since there are no guarantees in life, I decided that now—while I still have the chance—I want to choose a path that allows me to live with greater ease and happiness.”

She clarified, however, that her choice to acquire Singapore citizenship does not mean she no longer loves Malaysia.

“A person’s sense of belonging, in truth, lies not in the colour of their passport, but in whether—when you open your eyes each morning—the people you love are by your side, and whether you are living the life you truly desire,” she added. /TISG

Read also: Singapore emerges top choice as record numbers of Malaysians relinquish citizenship

This article (Malaysian-born woman says giving up her blue IC for Singapore citizenship was the ‘most practical path forward”) first appeared on The Independent Singapore News.