A Sabahan man today stood in front of the Parliament building to protest against proposed amendments to the Federal Constitution on citizenship - which were deemed regressive.
Wong Kueng Hui, 28, carried a banner that said "Reject cruel amendments, solve the issue of Malaysian kids' statelessness”.
Wong said he rejected the proposed amendments outright as he was personally affected by statelessness for 16 years before finally getting his MyKad earlier this year.
"For 16 years, I fought to gain my rights as a citizen until I legally got my identification card on July 12, 2023.
"Maybe for the majority of Malaysians, the topic of citizenship is hardly talked about, but in these 28 years, I have gone through a lot of challenges, oppression, discrimination, and constraints,” he told reporters.
Elaborating, Wong said he was particularly opposed to at least five proposed amendments to the constitution, which he said would exacerbate the plight of the stateless in the country.
According to him, they involve proposed amendments to Section 19B, Sections 1(a) and 1(e) of Part II of the Second Schedule, Section 26 (2) and Section 15 (1), as well as Section 15 (A) and Article 19 (2) of the Federal Constitution.
On Oct 1, Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the government has completed the draft amendment to Part III of the Federal Constitution regarding citizenship.
According to him, the matter is set to be brought to the Conference of Rulers, which will take place from Oct 24-26.
Elaborating, Wong said he is not willing to see Malaysian children suffer a fate similar to him, due to the lack of documentation.
"The proposed amendments will negate the rights of stateless Malaysian children.
"I stand here today to not only give a voice to the voiceless but also to Malaysians who have no rights as citizens of the country.
"I urge the civil society and all Malaysians, across all races, religions and political backgrounds to support me in protesting against the proposed amendments which are cruel and inhumane," Wong said. - Mkini
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