PETALING JAYA: The Barisan Nasional election manifesto will include the automatic citizenship for children born overseas to Malaysian mothers who are married to non-Malaysian men, says Datuk Heng Seai Kie.
"Wanita MCA is glad that our proposal to Barisan on this urgent matter of equality for Malaysian mothers was adopted as one of the six resolutions during the Wanita Barisan Convention," said the Wanita MCA chief.
She added that the only way to resolve the citizenship issue was to amend the Federal Constitution.
"The word 'father' under Article 14(1)(b) of the Federal Constitution and Part II Section 1(b) of the Second Schedule of the Federal Constitution would be extended to include 'mother' or changed to 'parents'.
"This is to enable both Malaysian fathers and mothers abroad to confer citizenship to their newborns automatically.
"Currently, when Malaysian women deliver babies outside of our country with their non-Malaysian spouses, they are required to apply for Malaysian citizenship for their offspring at the National Registration Department," she said in a statement on Sunday (Aug 21).
Heng said that between 2018 and July 25, 2022, there were a total of 3,407 applications received and only 0.6% or 19 applicants were approved.
On Aug 5, the Court of Appeal in a 2-1 majority decision ruled that children born overseas to Malaysian women who are married to foreign spouses are not entitled by operation of law to be Malaysian citizens.
