The matter of citizenship involving children born to Malaysian mothers outside of the country will be the Home Ministry’s top priority, said its newly appointed minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
Promises to put citizenship issue first
Speaking to reporters at his first press conference as Home Minister, Saifuddin said that the issue was his top priority and will be studied from all aspects.
“This was among the issues that I have been briefed about (after assuming the job). It will be my priority and we will look at all aspects.
“Including the aspects of our Federal Constitution, current laws and also humanity. Everything will be taken into consideration,” he said s quoted by Malaysiakini.
As per the Federal Constitution, only Malaysian fathers have the right to pass on citizenship automatically to their children who were born overseas.
However, the same right is not applicable for Malaysian mothers who have foreign partners and bear children outside of Malaysia as the Federal Constitution makes no mention of them.
Long struggle for M’sian mothers
This glaring issue has since become a rallying call for six Malaysian mothers, who filed a suit along with Family Frontiers at the High Court on Sept 9 last year demanding citizenship for their children.
Although the High Court ruled in their favour, the Home Ministry, led by then minister Hamzah Zainuddin, filed an appeal and won after the Court of Appeal (CoA) ruled in a 2-1 decision that citizenship will not be granted automatically.
The mothers have since taken the case to the Federal Court.
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