Baba and Nyonya Association of Malaysia chairman Ronald Gan said the provision will be extended to Peranakan Chinese in the rest of the country from January.

He credited Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and deputy unity minister K Saraswathy for playing a key part in this, saying Anwar has been pushing for this for over a decade, The Star reported.

“As Malaysians, this piece of news we received recently is the best gift from the government. We will now be known as Baba Nyonya, a sub-ethnic group among the local Chinese population,” said Gan.

He said the application process for Melakans will be stringent, with applicants required to first obtain the association’s approval before submitting it to the national registration department (JPN), which will then interview them.

He said once the principal applicants are officially recognised as Baba Nyonya, their family members will automatically qualify for that status.