The Home Ministry has said that it will expedite the Federal Constitution amendment on citizenship, a legacy issue that has been a bane for many over the years.
Its minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said his ministry’s priority and at this time, the amendment has passed the discussion session at the Cabinet level and has been presented to the Conference of Malay Rulers.
“Now the wording and language used in the bill are being fine-tuned,” he said.
The Ministry was reported to have finalised whether the amendment on citizenship would be made to the Federal Constitution or would only involve existing Acts and regulations.
The proposed change in Malaysia’s Constitution to grant overseas-born children of Malaysian mothers the same citizenship rights as those born overseas to Malaysian fathers will then vindicate the constitutional guarantee of gender equality in Malaysia, aligning the country more closely with its obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).
Additionally, Saifuddin was reported to have said on November 1 that a part of the 1,000 foreign children housed at 19 immigration depots throughout the country has been transferred to a temporary centre called Baitul Mahabbah in Nilai, Negeri Sembilan.
The transfer was on humanitarian grounds, in line with the government’s commitment in protecting the rights of children no matter their status as stated in the Child Act 2001 and the Convention on Rights of the Child.
