'Don't table citizenship amendments without PSSC review'

 

Project Stability and Accountability for Malaysia (Projek Sama) has called on the government to submit the remaining controversial constitutional amendments on citizenship to a Parliamentary Special Select Committee (PSSC) for a full review.

This should be done before putting the three amendments to a vote, it said.

The amendments include removing the right to automatic citizenship for children born to permanent residents, reducing the age limit to obtain citizenship from 21 to 18, and allowing the revocation of citizenship for foreign divorcees who had obtained citizenship by marriage.

In a statement jointly released with parliamentary consultant Maha Balakrishnan, Projek Sama welcomed Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail's announcement on Friday that the amendments to grant Malaysian mothers equal rights to confer citizenship on their overseas-born children may still be tabled for the first reading tomorrow.

"We also welcome his statement that two regressive amendments relating to Malaysia-born stateless children, many of whom are indigenous, abandoned or foundlings, would be dropped," the institutional reform watchdog added.

This is as the decision was consistent with public support for granting Malaysian mothers equal rights and with the social values that reject the victimisation of children, it said.

No broad consensus

The statement pointed out that there was no broad consensus for the remaining three regressive amendments proposed by the government.

"The first two regressive amendments may leave children stateless and therefore deprived of reasonable access to health care, education and social welfare, and subject to exploitation.

"The third regressive amendment threatens to separate mothers from their children. Hence, the objections against the three amendments are well-grounded: all children are blessings, and the family institution is highly treasured, whether in Islam or other religious beliefs practised in Malaysia,” it said.

Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail

The group urged Saifuddin to present a bill in the Dewan Rakyat tomorrow containing only an amendment to allow Malaysian mothers to automatically confer citizenship to their overseas-born children.

“If the minister insists on introducing the remaining regressive amendments, they must be presented in a separate bill that must be subjected to the fullest parliamentary scrutiny, including review by a PSSC," it said.

It argued that if the bill were to be rushed through, MPs will not have adequate time to fully debate it, limiting their opportunity to consult experts and stakeholders on the technical aspects and to propose amendments to the bill. - Mkini