KUALA LUMPUR, May 4 — Jane had long planned a return to Malaysia, especially after she and her Hong Kong-native husband found out they were expecting.
It was a burning desire for Jane to raise her child in Malaysia, despite having lived in Hong Kong since 2017, as she wants her child to be exposed to the same experiences as her.
However, the couple’s plan to relocate here in April evaporated due to the Covid-19 pandemic and government’s measures to contain it.
They were forced apart as Jane hurried back to Malaysia, where she intends to have her first child.
With a bulging belly and just two months until her due date, Jane is worried her husband will not be able to be by her side by the time she delivers.
“Also,I found out that if my child is born in Hong Kong, it would be difficult for my child to obtain a Malaysian citizenship. So when I heard about the Malaysian movement control order (MCO) on March 16, I immediately took a flight on my own the next day on March 17, and returned back to Malaysia first, as my tummy will be getting bigger and I would not be allowed to fly out.
“This is our first child, and being a first time parent, it would be tough and a very hard time for me to encounter all the processes on my own. As of today, MCO has now been extended to May 12, and the travel ban may not be lifted so soon,” Jane said.
She added that her husband was still unable to reside in Malaysia as they have not applied for a spousal visa.
“Malaysia has a better environment for the kid to grow up in, than in Hong Kong. So we decided to move back and start our life all over again, for the kid’s wellbeing. I’m very worried that he can’t be here in time with us,” Jane told Malay Mail.
She expressed worry that even after the borders are reopened, the government may tighten entry requirements for foreigners.
Jane added that she was only going to apply for a spouse visa after they relocated here.
Nila, a mother of two, has been yearning to see her children who are in Thailand with their father.
Her twins, both of whom are Thai citizens, were enrolled in a Thai school and live with their grandmother.
Nila’s ordeal started after her children went back to Thailand for the Qing Ming festival on March 21. They planned to return two days later but realised they could not with Malaysia shutting its borders after the MCO came into effect on March 18.
Just days before the MCO came into force, Nila’s Thai husband went to Thailand to retrieve their children and is now similarly unable to re-enter Malaysia.
Like Jane, Nila was also looking forward to bringing her children back here. She said she planned to seek permanent resident status for them and enroll them in a local school.
“Normally they come to Malaysia with a 30-day pass. They are eight-years-old and are studying in Thailand. They finished their Primary Two schooling there, early of March.
“We planned to move them back here to continue their studies in Malaysia, beginning this year. However, due to the MCO, they could not return,” she said.
Nila said she had been with her children in Thailand since they were born, and only came back to Malaysia for work in 2018.
“After my job became stable, now we are planning to bring our children back to stay with us. It’s not good to leave them in Thailand,” a distraught Nila told Malay Mail.
She added that while her husband has a Long-Term Social Visit Pass (LTSVP), he and their children could not return as foreigners may not enter Malaysia while the MCO is in effect.
“As a mother, it’s challenging to be away from my children for such a long duration,” she added.
Working mother Ariana, who is based in Singapore, says she faced the same predicament as Nila but with slightly different circumstances.
She is hoping to visit her two young children and husband, Yoshi, in Johor Baru at least once a month but doing so would cost her two-weeks of isolation as all Malaysian returnees must spend 14-days at designated quarantine centres.
“Even if I could return, I will have to be under a 14-day quarantine in Johor. Yoshi has taken unpaid leave to be with the children who are now home. Prior to the MCO, they would be at the daycare centre till evening. I would be happy if I have the assurance that I could see my family at least on a monthly basis. I am worried about what would happen in an emergency, and how can I return to Malaysia to be with my family?
“When I left Malaysia, I was already told that I could not go back during MCO. It’s a very worrying situation, especially with the mandatory quarantine upon returning to Malaysia,” she said.
Ariana has just completed her Stay-Home Notice the Singapore government enforces on those entering the republic, and has resumed working.
She is hoping that both Singapore and Malaysia reach an arrangement to facilitate working mothers like her in the republic return to meet their children who are across the Causeway.
For a Dubai-based Malaysian called Rina, the hassle in securing citizenship for her eldest child who was born abroad was strong motivation for her to deliver her second baby here.
However, due to her late-stage pregnancy, Rina is unable to fly to Malaysia.
Her woes were compounded as her Indian national spouse and child do not have the LTSVP.
“These led to a difficult time for me, as I want to give birth in Malaysia, and I don’t have any other help, and all my other family members are in Malaysia. The limitation to travel for pregnant mothers by certain months is also giving me pressure now.
“Also, when Malaysian mothers give birth abroad, we cannot secure citizenship for our children, unlike Malaysian fathers. It is a long process which does not guarantee us the status for our children,” she told Malay Mail.
Rina said that her eldest daughter, aged three, is still awaiting the result of her citizenship application.
“I planned to go to Malaysia, but this Covid-19 situation and country movement restrictions are giving me a difficult time.
“I hope there is some ray of hope for all mothers like me. All I want is to raise my kids as Malaysians too, and to nurture the Malaysian values in them since I’m a proud Malaysian mother wherever I go,” she added.
On Monday, the Foreign Spouses Support Group (FSSG) urged the Immigration Department to adopt short-term measures to allow Malaysian families with mixed nationalities to remain together, in view of the prolonged and unspecified period of the MCO.
The group said the department should consider letting foreign spouses, children and dependents of Malaysians and permanent residents, regardless of their visa status, join their families in Malaysia.
They said this hinged on them proving the legality of the union and obeying the Health Ministry’s guidelines.
“Given that we are in the fasting month of Ramadan, we do hope that families would not have to face the additional uncertainties around bureaucratic hurdles and anxiety of being separated during this pandemic and ask that due consideration be made by the respective authorities in the best interest of the family,” FSSG said.
Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had previously announced the MCO extension for a third time, to May 12.
In the prime minister’s address on the eve of the first day of Ramadan, however, Muhyiddin also did not discount that the MCO could be extended again after May 12 to effectively flatten the Covid-19 infection curve.
Muhyiddin noted that despite encouraging Covid-19 recovery figures, precautionary measures must be kept up until disease is fully under control.
He said that during the renewed MCO extension period, Putrajaya will assess the latest data from the Ministry of Health to determine the next step.
* Note: Names of interviewees have been changed at their request, to protect their identities.
