KUALA LUMPUR – The Court of Appeal will make a decision on a stay application filed by the Malaysian government over a ruling allowing Malaysian mothers married to overseas men to confer automatic citizenship to their children on December 22.
Initially, the Court of Appeal set the hearing of the application on March 18 next year.
In a statement, NGO Family Frontiers welcomed the decision as it allows speedy disposal of the case once and for all.
“Early court dates are appreciated and Family Frontiers hopes to have this issue resolved once and for all,” the statement read.
Initially, on September 9, the high court ruled that the federal constitution prohibits gender discrimination that allows mothers married to foreign husbands to confer citizenship on their children by operation of the law.
Following the decision, Putrajaya filed an appeal to the high court along with a stay application.
On November 15, however, the high court dismissed the government’s stay application, prompting the cabinet to file another appeal.
The government filed an interim stay to temporarily suspend the implementation of the high court order pending the hearing of the main stay application on March 18, 2022.
Today, the Court of Appeal did not make any orders with regards to the interim stay application, and instead brought forward the March 18 hearing to December 22 this month. – The Vibes, December 6, 2021