Home ministry sets up committee to look into citizenship issues

The home ministry has set up a special committee to look into citizenship issues from all aspects in a comprehensive manner.

Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said issues to be given focus include delayed cases, children born abroad and local women married to foreign men. 

"I will ensure that the citizenship application process is made easier in a comprehensive manner without compromising aspects involving national security," he told reporters after a working visit to the National Registration Department headquarters in Putrajaya today. 

Saifuddin was responding to questions on a recent statement by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Azalina Othman Said that the government would begin the process of amending the Federal Constitution to resolve the citizenship status issue of children born abroad to Malaysian women with foreign spouses.

Amendments to Part II of the Second Schedule of the Federal Constitution would allow these children to be given the right to Malaysian citizenship similar to those born abroad to Malaysian men.
 
"I can confirm Azalina’s announcement, and the special committee will be fully focused on citizenship issues," Saifuddin said. 

He said the working paper prepared by the special committee will be presented to the Cabinet next month at the latest. 

Meanwhile, Saifuddin said the leave granted by the Federal Court to family rights group Family Support and Welfare Selangor and Kuala Lumpur (Family Frontiers) and six women to proceed with their appeal against the Court of Appeal decision that their children could not obtain Malaysian citizenship would not interfere with the government’s commitment to proceed with the proposed amendments. 

He said the case would move ahead through the proper legal process but that it would not stop the government from looking into the proposed amendments.

On Dec 14 last year, Family Frontiers and six Malaysian mothers obtained leave to proceed with their appeal against a Court of Appeal ruling denying automatic citizenship to children born overseas to Malaysian women with foreign spouses.
 
A three-member Federal Court panel led by Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim also granted leave to appeal to India-born Mahisha Sulaiha Abdul Majeed, who is likewise seeking to be recognised as a Malaysian citizen.

On Aug 5 last year, the Court of Appeal in a 2-1 majority decision overturned a High Court ruling that children born overseas to Malaysian women with foreign spouses are entitled to automatic citizenship.