Don't whisper in PM's ear, table it in Parliament, Zahid told
Worse, she said, was how Zahid told the BN convention last weekend that he would “whisper” the issue, which was made an election promise, into the prime minister’s ear.
“Being the president of Umno, if Zahid and Umno are serious about...
Kulai MP Teo Nie Ching has lambasted BN chief Ahmad Zahid Hamidi for “weaponising” the issue of citizenship for children born overseas to Malaysian mothers.
Worse, she said, was how Zahid told the BN convention last weekend that he would “whisper” the issue, which was made an election promise, into the prime minister’s ear.
“Being the president of Umno, if Zahid and Umno are serious about the reform, Zahid does not need to whisper to the prime minister, who is also his vice-president in Umno, as if it is some sort of secret.
“If Zahid holds any reverence to the plight of Malaysian mothers, he could have outrightly intervened when the government opposed the High Court’s ruling in favour of the mothers in the first place," she said.
Teo (above), who is also DAP's publicity secretary, added that Zahid's posturing makes it seem like Umno is not part of the government, nor does it have 11 ministers in the cabinet.
Using the issue for political gain is also an insult to mothers, she said, who have fought the system for years to seek Malaysian citizenship for their overseas-born children, who have foreign fathers.
“He says he cares, but where is he through all those challenges?”
Instead of making political promises, she said, Zahid should show seriousness by urging for a special parliamentary sitting to amend the Federal Constitution to allow mothers to confer citizenship to their children.
Article 14(1)(b) of the Constitution must be amended to include the word “mother” or for the word “father” to be changed to “parents”.
Without this change, children born overseas to Malaysian mothers but foreign fathers cannot automatically receive Malaysian citizenship, based on a Court of Appeal ruling.
The case was brought against the government by six Malaysian mothers in December 2020, with support from the Association of Family Support and Welfare Selangor & KL, known as Family Frontiers.
UN: Citizenship discrimination victimises children
Malaysia is one of 24 countries that do not give mothers and fathers equal rights under the country’s citizenship laws.
Malaysian fathers with foreign spouses can confer citizenship to their overseas-born children automatically, regardless of the citizenship of the mother.
On Aug 5, the same day the Court of Appeal overturned a High Court decision allowing Malaysian mothers to confer citizenship, Liberia amended its laws to allow mothers there the right to pass on citizenship to their children.
The United Nations lauded the move, saying such discrimination against women has caused various issues for children, including statelessness in the case of absent fathers.
While some Malaysian women who gave birth overseas have succeeded in obtaining citizenship for their children after years of trying, others are left hanging without any reason provided.
This is despite lodging their applications for citizenship with the consulate within months of the child’s birth.
The child’s status as a non-citizen is an issue if the family resides in Malaysia, and is especially tenuous if the mother is a single parent.
Some women have also reported being forced to travel home, at times against medical advice, to ensure they give birth in Malaysia to secure citizenship for their children.
Covid-19 travel restrictions during the height of the pandemic also meant some women could not travel home to give birth.
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