Citizenship - Obtained after 40 Years

It was front-page news in the local Chinese newspaper about a man by the name of Lim Seong Choon, 61, from Kuantan, Malaysia, a town where I am from. He finally got his citizenship status after 40 years. He made his first application for citizenship when he was 21. He was successful on his sixth attempt and after four oral tests. He was born and raised in Kuala Lumpur but he could not get his citizenship confirmed because his name was different from the one on his birth certificate. He was considered a permanent resident since his temporary identification document bore a different name. He stopped schooling and took up a course in tailoring. With his tailoring skills, he was able to secure a job at a leading tailor in Kuala Lumpur. He was only paid half the rate because of his status and he dared not complain. He married twice and has four children. He moved to Kuantan in the 1980s and worked behind the scenes for several leading tailors here. Because of his expertise and active involvement, he was nominated to represent the Kuantan Tailors Association in international competitions for master tailors overseas, but he could not go due to his permanent resident status. Now, as a Malaysian, he is over the moon because he can travel the world like any other citizens to participate in competitions.