Kuala Lumpur: Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim will present the proposed amendments to the Federal Constitution to the Conference of Malay Rulers soon, in a bid to solve the citizenship issue plaguing overseas-born children of Malaysian women with foreign spouses.
He said this is to enable Malaysian mothers to be granted equal rights in the Federal Constitution.
“I will seek an audience (with the Rulers) and present the matter this week.
“The law stated that citizenship is given to children whose father is a citizen, it does not include the mother. So, we want both parents to be included in the constitution.
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Anwar said the proposed constitutional amendment is expected to be tabled in the Dewan Rakyat in September.
Earlier in his speech, Anwar spoke on the plight of stateless persons.
He said the home ministry received numerous citizenship requests under Article 15(A) of the Federal Constitution which underscores the urgent need for action.
He said several critical issues contributed to the challenges faced by stateless persons in Malaysia.
“As for children born overseas to Malaysian mothers, efforts are already under way to resolve the issue of citizenship for them.
“We will be tabling amendments to the Federal Constitution to replace the words ‘whose father’ in Part I and Part II of the Second Schedule with the words ‘at least one of the parents’,” he said.
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