SABAH Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor held a pre-council meeting with Sabah MPs to discuss the upcoming constitutional amendment on citizenship laws, which is set for first reading in Parliament.
The meeting took place at the Chief Minister's official residence, Sri Gaya, today.
The closed-door session was attended by Keningau MP Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan, Papar MP Datuk Armizan Ali, Putatan MP Datuk Shahelmy Yahya, Ranau MP Datuk Jonathan Yassin, Kalabakan MP Datuk Andi Muhammad Suryady Band, Tawau MP Datuk Lo Su Fui, and Tenom MP Riduan Rubin.
Also present was State Attorney-General Datuk Brenndon Keith Soh.
A briefing on the bill was done by the Deputy Undersecretary of the Home Ministry's Registration Department and Organisation Division, Mimmi Suriati Mat Khalid.
Jeffrey, who is also Sabah Deputy Chief Minister I, recently indicated that Sabah MPs might withhold their support for the controversial citizenship amendment bill in the Dewan Rakyat later this month.
He stated that the state cabinet had discussed the bill and expressed that Sabah should be excluded to protect its unique population and social concerns.
"Our position is clear: if this amendment goes through, let it apply only in the peninsula. We don’t want to negatively impact our people, particularly those in rural areas who sometimes become stateless due to a lack of access to proper documentation," he said.
One of the amendments includes the removal of automatic citizenship for children born to Malaysian permanent residents, which is believed could worsen conditions for stateless individuals, limiting their access to essential services such as education, healthcare, and employment. - October 11, 2024
