Don't appeal against Court of Appeal's citizenship ruling for Sabah man

United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation (Upko) president Wilfred Madius Tangau said he hopes the government will not appeal against the Court of Appeal’s recent ruling that a Sabah-born man – with a Malaysian father and a mother with unknown nationality – is a citizen of this country.

Madius also hopes that this decision will be used as an important reference to resolve similar cases.

“Upko hopes that the government, especially the National Registration Department (JPN) will not submit an appeal against the decision of the Court of Appeal, which in fact has also upheld the High Court decision issued on Oct 21, 2019.

“Upko also hopes that the decision of the Court of Appeal will open the door to many more cases that need fair and big-hearted attention on the part of the government and bring an amicable solution,” Madius (above) said in a statement today.

The Court of Appeal had ruled on Jan 19, 2022, that 27-year-old Wong Kueng Hui, whose father is a Malaysian and whose mother is of uncertain nationality, is entitled to Malaysian citizenship.

Wong was born on Jan 2, 1995 at Hospital Keningau, Sabah. His Malaysian father died while he 10-years-old while his mother – believed to be a non-Malaysian – died while he was 17.

Madius said such cases need to be settled comprehensively, as it is very important to maintain the harmony of the lives of the affected individuals.

“We cannot leave it to the court’s decision alone. Instead, the federal government and the state government, especially the Sabah state government, in this case, need to take proactive action to resolve such cases.

“If necessary, current laws need to be reviewed and amended to avoid an undue burden on the part of individuals such as Wong in the future,” he said. - Mkini