The fates of stateless children born in Malaysia ultimately lie in the hands of Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Lawyer Annou Xavier, who has handled a number of cases involving citizenship for stateless children, said the home minister has the final say on citizenship, as per certain provisions of the Federal Constitution.

"Under Article 14 and Article 15A of the Federal Constitution, the end result and final power (to grant citizenship) rests in the minister concerned. And that is the home minister," Annou told Malaysiakini yesterday.

Article 14 deals with citizenship by operation of law as subjected to certain provisions, while Article 15A outlines the special power to register children, that is the "federal government may, in such special circumstances as it thinks fit, cause any person under the age of 21 years to be registered as a citizen".