SpicyTricks

Most Malaysians are granted citizenship by lex soli. All Malaysians are Federal citizens with no formal citizenships within the individual states, except for the states of Sabah and Sarawak and the federal territory of Labuan in East Malaysia, where state citizenship is a privilege and distinguishable from the Peninsula.[citation needed] In practice, only the Malays and certain indigenous minority races such as the Orang Asli and Iban enjoy full citizenship; the Chinese and Indians are not classified as Bumiputras ("people of the soil") and thus do not enjoy the same rights and privileges. Every citizen is issued a biometric smart chip identity card, known as MyKad, at the age of 12, and must carry the card at all times.