KOTA BARU: Wan Nab Ismail, who is a person with disability, has never had an identity card, despite being born in 1939.
In fact, she never even had a birth certificate, her birth having never been registered.
Wan Nab puts all that down to the poverty she has had to endure most of her life, but she has been trying to get an identity card for as long as she can remember.
However, the fact that her birth was never registered made it impossible.
The 83-year-old, who has been bedridden since August, has been praying for a miracle in the hopes that someone would help her get her MyKad.
Today, her prayers were finally answered by the state National Registration Department.
The department's officers led by NRD director-general Datuk Ruslin Jusoh himself, brought the good news to Wan Nab, known affectionately among locals as "Mak Nab", to her relative's home in Kampung Laut, here.
Ruslin said the woman's plight went viral recently, catching the attention of the department.
"Our checks showed that Wan Nab never had an identity card nor a birth certificate, and this made it difficult for her to live, especially when asking for financial aid.
"All her siblings have passed away and she is now under the care of her niece here," he told reporters after handing over the card and the certificate to Wan Nab.
As such, the NRD decided to expedite the process and give her a MyKad and birth certificate.
While holding the card, Wan Nab, who cannot speak properly, managed to say that she was happy to get her identity documents.
"This is my identity card and my picture is on it. I'm really happy and I want to thank the government department," said Wan Nab, accompanied by her niece Zaidah Ismail.
However, that was not the end of the good news for the day. She will also now receive financial aid from the Kelantan Welfare Department.
State Welfare Department principal assistant director Azman Mat Zain said Mak Nab would get RM500 in monthly aid beginning next month.
"(Before this) we could not process her application as she did not have valid documents to support her application. We immediately approved her application today when she received her identity documents," he said.
