[UPDATED] Azalina pushes private member’s bill on citizenship for overseas-born kids

KUALA LUMPUR – Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said has filed a motion to the Dewan Rakyat for the tabling of a private member’s bill seeking to amend the constitution to allow children born overseas to be granted citizenship through their Malaysian mothers.

Azalina, who is the chairman of the parliamentary special select committee on women, children affairs and social development, submitted the motion to Dewan Rakyat secretary Nizam Mydin Bacha Mydin on September 15.

She is requesting that the bill be tabled in the coming sitting, which will begin on October 3.

The bill specifically seeks to amend Part II of the Second Schedule of the federal constitution to insert the word “or mother” after the word “father” in Clauses 1(b) and 1(c).

The clauses stipulate that every person born outside the federation on or after Malaysia Day, whose father is at the time of birth a citizen of Malaysia, will be considered a citizen by operation of the law.

The proposed amendment to the constitution will extend this to include mothers.

According to the proposed bill, the act will not involve any extra financial expenditures and will come into force on a date to be appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

In a statement on August 29, Azalina had urged all MPs to support the amendment should the matter be tabled in the House, saying her PSSC is readily able and willing to file a private member’s bill.

However, she had expressed doubt that the bill would see the light of day without an independent, impartial and well-supported Parliament.

“Members of Parliament, we reached a historic unanimous vote for a constitutional amendment to support the passing of the anti-party hopping law.

“If and when a bill is presented to us to make a minor amendment to the constitution to allow for both fathers and mothers to confer citizenship to their children, I trust that we can unanimously agree to do the same.

“Just as party hopping is unjust and unethical, so is leaving thousands of children stateless and in limbo. Imposing and prolonging unnecessary suffering to families and children taints the spirit of Keluarga Malaysia.

“As we celebrate 65 years of Independence on August 31, it is my fervent wish that the thousands of families and children in citizenship limbo ‘dimerdekakan’ (achieves freedom),” she had said.

The anti-hopping bill, which similarly required a constitutional amendment, was passed in the Dewan Rakyat on July 28, before it sailed through the Dewan Negara on August 9.

Amendments to the federal constitution require the support of two-thirds of MPs. – The Vibes, September 19, 2022