Mismah wants out from the limelight

After two weeks in the national spotlight for apparently getting her Malaysian citizenship in a record four hours, Indonesian-born Mismah is now refusing to be interviewed by the media.

From the time news of her 'miraculous' citizenship had surfaced till her visit from Selangor Umno's deputy liaison chief last Saturday, she feels that enough has been written about her.

When met by Malaysiakini at a stall (right) where she was found working in Kuala Lumpur yesterday, the 47-year-old born in Bawaen, Indonesia, was nevertheless cheerful and chatty.

Mismah insisted that she did not want any more of her statements published in the media, and refused even to be photographed at her stall.

"A lot has already been written about me," she said last evening around breaking fast at her 10 square feet stall in front of a clothes store in downtown KL.

Mismah works as a sweeper in the day and is taking the opportunity in the run-up to Hari Raya to earn some extra income selling baju kurung at the stall at night.

Mismah speaks ‘off record’

Malaysiakini had sought to find out from Mismah how she had obtained her citizenship in a matter of months, after being granted permanent resident (PR) status while still in her teens, as well as who had first brought her into the country in 1982.

Among others, Malaysiakini would also want to ask her why she made a fresh application for citizenship after having waited 17 years and what drove her to register as a voter a couple of months after being granted her citizenship.

The mother of four did give partial answers to the questions, but requested that they be “off the record”.

She nevertheless was friendly towards Malaysiakini’s reporter and videographer, even suggesting places to break fast as they bade her farewell.

Mismah landed in the centre of controversy when Malaysiakini reported on Aug 2 the discovery of her name on the electoral roll for Ijok, Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim’s constituency, while still a PR according to NRD’s webite.

Curiously NRD’s website changed her status to citizen four hours after the news was published.

NRD however explained the next day that the allegations were untrue, and that Mismah was actually granted citizenship on Jan 31.

Malay daily Sinar Harian eventually ran two front-page denials of her ‘back door’ citizenship on Aug 12 and Aug 13, 10 days after the incident.

In the reports ‘I am Mismah’ and ‘I was not paid’ the newly-minted Malaysian told the daily her path to citizenship was tough and in a span of 17 years she had applied twice.
            
The expose does not however explain the discrepancy on the NRD website, or how someone of her qualifications received the privilege of citizenship when many others have failed.

Meanwhile, Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein had defended that his ministry did not give out permanent residencies easily.