志异 Draft by Drama box december 2013 (english) | Page 33

She was still tapping
rubber on her due
date —as a result,
I was born in the
rubber plantation,
a true son of the
rubber forest.

British subject, and returned to Catholic
High to resume my studies.
In June 1959, Singapore established
self-government, and I became a
‘prospective’ Singapore citizen (I was not
born in Singapore, and could not become
an official citizen before the age of 21).
In 1962, I applied for naturalisation as a
Singapore citizen. According to the official
regulations, in order to become a citizen, I
had to go to the citizenship registry to take
a citizenship oath before I turned 21 in June
1963. On September 16 that year, Malaysia
was founded. Not long after that, I received
an official letter from Singapore’s
citizenship registry, asking me to explain
‘why my Singapore citizenship should not
be revoked’. I didn’t reply. About a month
later (I don’t recall the speci?cs, these
events happened half a century ago), I
received an official noti ????5??M???????)????????????5????????????????)???????????????)Q????????$???????????a????????)??????????????????????d?????????$)??????e??????M???????????????????????)???????$????????????????????????+?a?????????d????$??????????????????????)??????????????????%???????????????????)$????????????a????????????????d??????$)?????????????????]???5??????????((0