Orang Asli with PR status can apply for Malaysian citizenship with proof

 

Orang Asli who are permanent resident (PR) card holders can apply for citizenship if they are not nationals elsewhere, Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said.

The minister said that if they can show evidence of having resided in the country, the Orang Asli can apply under existing laws.

He added that the proposed citizenship amendment, which he tabled for a first reading in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday, will not affect Orang Asli or Orang Asal children who are stateless.

He said that the amendment seeks to limit the automatic acquisition of Malaysian citizenship to children born to PR parents of other nationalities, rather than stateless Orang Asli or Orang Asal.

“For example, if the mother is a Malaysian PR from the Philippines and the father is a Malaysian PR from Thailand, if their baby is born in Malaysia, he or she is automatically a Malaysian citizen. We don’t want that,” he said at a breaking of fast function with the media last night.

He said the number of individuals with no nationality but only a Malaysian PR is very small and that after the amendment, those who can bring convincing proof of their Malaysian PR status can apply for citizenship.

“If they can prove they have only Malaysian PR, we will (process their citizenship) using existing laws,” he added.

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READ MORE: KINIGUIDE | How could constitutional changes make more people stateless?

Yesterday Saifuddin tabled the proposed amendment to the Federal Constitution on citizenship law at Dewan Rakyat. The bill is expected to be tabled for its second and third reading in this sitting and is scheduled to end on Wednesday.

The proposed amendments include:

i) Malaysian mothers to have equal right to confer automatic citizenship on overseas-born children

ii) The birth of a child born outside the federation shall be registered, within one year of its occurrence or within such longer period as the Federal Government may allow, at a consulate of the Federation or with the Federal Government

iii) Lowering the age limit for citizenship application to 18 from 21

iv) Imposing an additional requirement of having adequate knowledge of the Malay language on any married woman applying for citizenship

v) To specify that a child born within Malaysia, with at least one parent being a permanent resident in the country at the time of birth, will no longer be eligible for citizenship

The cabinet had last week agreed to scrap the ministry’s proposal to amend the Consitution regarding the right to grant citizenship to foundlings.

In its initial proposal, the ministry suggested repealing Section 19B of Part III of the Second Schedule of the Federal Constitution which relates to the conferment of citizenship rights by operation of law to foundlings and stateless children, and Section 1(e) of the same action in the same schedule that relates to giving citizenship by law to every stateless individual born in Malaysia. - Mkini