For the sake of her little son, actress Sora Ma becomes a Singaporean

SINGAPORE: Sora Ma, an established actress, is finally a Singaporean after many years, as reported by CNA via 8 Days. Sora Ma, who’s 41 and originally from Malaysia, shared a bit of her personal story on Instagram on April 16. She mentioned that she was far along in her pregnancy, just a week or two away from meeting her baby. A friend of hers named Karen suggested something practical: changing her citizenship. Karen thought it would just make things smoother down the road when it came to dealing with anything related to her child.

Ma gave birth to her son, Skye, last August. He is now nine months old. Sadly, in June last year, Sora Ma’s husband, whom the public only knew as Mr R, passed away unexpectedly. This happened before their son, Skye, was born. He was only 48 years old. They had been in a relationship for 11 years and got married in 2021.

Wake-up call

Ma revealed that she did not think much about changing her citizenship at the beginning, but Karen’s words were a “wake-up call” for her. She was still getting used to managing everything alone.

So, facing this tough situation, Ma decided to reach out for help. She emailed her Member of Parliament (MP), Dr Koh Poh Koon. He’s been representing the Tampines area since 2020.

Impressed by his efficiency

Ma remembers sending that email on a Saturday at 7:06 a.m. She was taken aback when she got a reply just 40 minutes later! It even looked like Dr Koh Poh Koon had replied straight from his phone. Ma was genuinely impressed by his efficiency. Just a week or two later, Ma had all the necessary paperwork sorted out and was able to go to Minister Koh’s office in person.

The application for her citizenship went through much faster than Ma had anticipated. She wasn’t sure if her situation was particularly special or if having her MP, Dr Koh Poh Koon, involved made the process quicker. Either way, the important thing is that on Jan 22, 2025—which was also her birthday—Ma received her pink Singaporean identity card (IC).

Stay hopeful

In her post, she described getting her citizenship as a “new birthday” and a “new beginning”. It sounds as though she’s faced some incredibly tough times, but she’s choosing to stay hopeful and is appreciative of every little bit of progress she makes. That kind of resilience and appreciation is inspiring, especially considering everything she’s been through.

Sora Ma, born on Jan 22, 1984, is a Singaporean actress.

Originally from Malaysia, Sora Ma gained recognition after finishing in the top five of Star Search 2010, a talent competition. Until 2017, she was a full-time artiste with Mediacorp, a major media and entertainment company in Singapore.

While actively involved in the entertainment industry, Sora Ma is also a qualified Pilates instructor and is the founder of Heartworks SG, a charity organisation.

In 2022, she received the Best Supporting Actress award at the Asia Contents Awards for her performance in the drama This Land Is Mine.