PUTRAJAYA: The concern of a Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) student from Sabah about the possibility that she may not get a scholarship because her mother has not yet obtained permanent resident status (PR) has caught the attention of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. This was voiced by Stephanie Juditha Sebastian during a dialogue session with the Prime Minister at the Putrajaya Idea Festival (Putrajaya FOI) held at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Stephanie expressed her concerns regarding her mother’s citizenship status, despite being born and raised in Sabah. Her mother has yet to secure Malaysian citizenship, and efforts to resolve the issue since 1990 have been unsuccessful. Stephanie emphasized that her mother’s lack of citizenship could hinder her scholarship application, as one of the conditions requires both parents to be citizens.

Stephanie revealed that she had previously brought up the issue with the Home Minister last year, but no response
had been received. In response, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim instructed her to submit an official letter along with complete documents to Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi for further action.

Ahmad Zahid, who was also present during the dialogue session, encouraged Stephanie to hand over the letter to him personally, saying: “Give the letter to uncle, let uncle settle it.” This reassurance from the Deputy Prime Minister offers hope for a resolution to Stephanie’s concerns about her scholarship eligibility.