Stateless man yearns for a place to call home

Mr Ricqo Rafiezuwan has never known the privileges of citizenship, facing a future riddled with uncertainty and limited opportunities.

Life has dealt Mr Ricqo a difficult hand. As one of 853 stateless individuals in Singapore, the 25-year-old has spent his days navigating a world inaccessible to him.

Living in a two-room HDB flat in Clementi, Mr Ricqo has never stepped foot in a classroom, spending most of his time at the void deck or nearby parks.

Born to an unwed, stateless mother, Mr Ricqo was raised by a childless Singaporean couple, who are friends of his birth mother.

"Because I'm stateless, I haven't been able to receive education, healthcare or buy a home," Mr Ricqo shared, revealing that he is largely self-taught in English and Malay, but his literacy in both languages remains limited.

While Mr Ricqo's foster father works as a cleaner and his foster mother is a housewife, he occasionally meets his biological mother, who has since obtained permanent residency in Singapore.

Showing his birth extract to reporters from The Straits Times, Mr Ricqo pointed out the line that reads, “This child is not a citizen of Singapore by birth" – despite his birth being registered at Singapore General Hospital. A birth extract is typically issued to replace lost or damaged original birth certificates.

His stateless status came to light in 2019, following a police check while he was with friends. He later sought help from his Member of Parliament and was issued a special pass.

Though granted permission to work in Singapore this past July, the "stateless" label has proven to be an insurmountable hurdle in his job search.

"My foster parents are old and have health problems. I want to work and earn money to help them but it's hard to convince people to hire me."

Having never experienced formal education, Mr Ricqo grapples with feelings of inadequacy, confessing to feeling "stupid" at times.

“I’ve never been to school, so when they talk about the PSLE or anything like that, I don’t know what they’re talking about," he said.

Looking ahead, Mr Ricqo hopes to go through National Service as a pathway to securing permanent residency or citizenship. His aspirations extend beyond himself, as he dreams of finding a job and giving back to society.

Mr Ricqo, who has a Singaporean girlfriend, hopes to one day marry and start a family.

"I want my children to be better, smarter, not stupid like me," he expressed.