KUALA LUMPUR – The government has rejected 1,024 citizenship applications by children who at least have one Malaysian parent.
In the written parliamentary reply, the Home Ministry said that from 2017 to September 30, it had received 4,707 citizenship applications under Article 15A and 15(2) of the federal constitution.
These two provisions, allow the federal government to grant citizenship upon application to children who at least has one Malaysian parent.
So far, from the 24,704 citizenship applications received, 1,679 were approved while 1,024 were rejected.
“For children who reach the age of 12 or anyone entering Malaysia, they are subject to Rule 28 of the National Registration Regulations 1990, where the individual must register within 30 days to obtain their citizenship.
“Applications will be processed in the event there are National Registration Department (NRD) documents such as birth certificate, adoption certificate, or overseas birth certificate registered at a Malaysian High Commission, in line with Rule 4(cc) of the National Registration Regulations 1990,” the parliamentary reply reads.
On December 8, Fong Kui Lun (Bukit Bintang-PH), asked the Home Ministry to state the position of citizenship applications made by children with at least one Malaysian parent.
He also queried the number of applications received up to September 2021, as well as those which were approved and rejected.
On September 9, the High Court ruled that the federal constitution prohibits gender-based discrimination, allowing Malaysian mothers married to foreign men to automatically grant Malaysian citizenship to their children.
However, the same month, Putrajaya made a decision to appeal the ruling. – The Vibes, December 11, 2021
