PETALING JAYA: For the growing number of Malaysian women calling for citizenship rights for their children born abroad, Elroi Yee’s short film titled “Saya Juga Anak Malaysia” cuts deep.
The short film was screened on June 8 ahead of a panel discussion organised by Family Frontiers, an NGO advocating equal citizenship rights.
The film depicts the real-life struggles of Malaysian Aini Ahmad, whose now eight-year-old daughter, Nana, born in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, is still considered “stateless” in Malaysia.
In the film, Aini recalled sending in numerous applications for Malaysian citizenship for her daughter, as soon as she was born in fact, only to see them all rejected.
She later learnt that only about a dozen applications are approved for every 3,000 received by the Malaysian government.
But what’s more disheartening is the double standard that exists in the country.
Had Aini been Nana’s father instead of her mother, the child would have been granted citizenship as stipulated in the Federal Constitution.
Without citizenship, Nana’s healthcare expenses – the child is autistic – are through the roof. Aini’s troubles also extend to applications for schooling as well as insurance coverage.
The High Court brought a ray of hope for mothers like Aini when it ruled on Sept 9, 2021 that children born overseas to Malaysian mothers were entitled to Malaysian citizenship.
However, the ruling was overturned the following year by the Court of Appeal.
Aini said that despite the setbacks, she is still holding out for a miracle, waiting for the day when her daughter can live as a Malaysian.
The panel discussion that followed the screening of the short film was aimed at raising awareness about this issue.
On the panel were social activist Maria Chin Abdullah and Subang Jaya assemblyman Michelle Ng as well as Patricia Low, a mother whose child is stateless and Niba Zaidi, who was initially denied citizenship.
Maria attributed the cause of statelessness among Malaysian children to a lack of understanding of the issue on the part of the authorities.
“The government doesn’t understand that these children are Malaysians,” the former Petaling Jaya MP said, adding that these children had to battle legal discrimination for life.
She added that by denying them citizenship, these children were being denied the opportunity to meet their full potential and to develop.
Low, whose son was born in Beijing, China, said these legal complications were a burden for ordinary women like her.
For instance, her son has been excluded from the national immunisation programme, which means he is not eligible for the vaccinations other children enjoy.
“Not every woman can cover the medical costs,” Low said. “Not every woman who marries a foreigner is from the T20 group.”
She said some Malaysian women with stateless children were reluctant to leave abusive relationships for fear of being separated from their children.
“My son has asked me, ‘Why am I not Malaysian when you are?’ Children can see when they are being treated differently. This sort of treatment can affect a child’s development,” Low said.
Niba, born overseas to a Malaysian mother, who has since passed away, talked about the pain of feeling like an outsider for years until she was granted citizenship.
“I felt unloved and unwanted by the country I considered my motherland. I still remember holding my citizenship approval letter and regretting that my mother was not there to share this meaningful moment,” she recalled.
Maria expressed hope that the country’s lawmakers would do right by the children.
“You’re only fighting a war against children. This is not the fault of parents or children, but of an un-accepting system,” she added.
For more information on stateless children in Malaysia, click here.
- FMT
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