COMMENT | Clarify controversial citizenship amendments

COMMENT | Family Frontiers and the Malaysian Mothers’ Network welcome the initiative by Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail to expedite the amendments to citizenship provisions in the Federal Constitution, one of them being to grant Malaysian mothers the equal right to confer citizenship on their overseas-born children, on a similar basis as Malaysian men.

It is encouraging to see the government prioritise the rights of Malaysian women and their overseas-born non-citizen children, a move that is long overdue and reflects the government’s commendable commitment to gender equality.

However, amid the celebration of this positive move, a pressing concern looms regarding the potential entanglement of these progressive changes with the regressive amendments that have encountered significant opposition from stakeholders and the public.

According to the minister’s speech during the winding-up session of the PKR annual national congress, the proposed amendments have gone through the discussion stage in cabinet and approval has been obtained from the Conference of Rulers.

Currently, the wording used in the bill is being fine-tuned. The next step will be to table the amendments in Parliament at both the House of Representatives and Senate levels.

Nevertheless, the lack of clarity regarding...