This is Part 2 of a six-part Malaysia Day series on the issue of statelessness in the country.

As he walked out of his room to meet Malaysiakini, nine-year-old Andy's pale, translucent complexion, emaciated body, and laboured movements reflected the many years of bureaucratic processes that denied him access to affordable medical care to manage his HIV infection.

Prenatally infected, Andy (not his real name) was happy to receive guests and even more the sour candy he quickly finished. His lack of schooling owing to his statelessness was the least of the family’s worries.

When met, Andy was struggling to fully recover from a serious bout of infections that took him to the brink of death last year...