PKR student wing to join protest against citizenship amendments

 

Wong Kueng Hui, the spokesman for the groups, speaking at a press conference today.

KUALA LUMPUR: PKR’s student wing, Mahasiswa Keadilan Malaysia, will join a rally in front of Parliament next Monday to protest the government’s plan to amend citizenship laws.

Together with NGOs and several East Malaysian civil society groups, they aim to gather there from 10am to 8pm to protest the proposed amendments to the constitution, which they contend are regressive.

Other groups who are set to join the rally include Borneo Komrad, Sabah AIDS Support Services Association, Aliran, Peraturan Etnik Gana Sabah, Family Frontiers, Islamic Renaissance Front and Lawyers for Liberty.

The spokesman for the groups, Wong Kueng Hui, said the amendments will significantly affect rural communities in Sabah and Sarawak due to the existing lack of infrastructure there.

This would make it harder for them to register births to complete the citizenship registration process, he said, without specifying which proposed amendment was the problem.

At a press conference, Wong said rural communities in East Malaysia still have a lack of awareness on the importance of registering their children as citizens.

Meanwhile, Borneo Komrad coordinator Mukmin Nantang said some families in Sabah did not have proper documentation.

He pointed out that stateless children did not have access to subsidised medical treatment in government hospitals and to public schooling.

Wong said the groups wanted to take to the streets to be more aggressive in speaking out against the proposed amendments.

“The home minister (Saifuddin Nasution Ismail) has already met us for discussions, we have attended engagement sessions, and we have submitted a memorandum to Parliament.

“Therefore, we will take more aggressive steps by taking to the streets to voice our opposition against this cruel, unjust, and regressive (constitutional) amendment,” he said.

The groups also questioned the government’s hastiness in tabling the amendments in the ongoing parliamentary session and called for a white paper to justify the changes.

Among other things, the proposed amendments replace automatic citizenship for foundlings or abandoned children, with discretionary powers given to the home minister to decide on such matters. - FMT