Born a ‘Merdeka baby’ but forced to struggle for ‘independence’ throughout his teenage years, now 20-year-old Muhammad Omar Mokhtar Abdul Rahman can finally join the upcoming Malaysia Day celebrations as a full-fledged citizen.

This follows the Home Ministry’s approval of his citizenship application, a bureaucratic nightmare that started when Omar turned 12 and was rendered stateless after the National Registration Department (NRD) raised questions about the citizenship of his biological mother.

Lawyers for Liberty adviser Latheefa Koya said the Alor Setar resident...