PETALING JAYA: The Sarawak Women for Women Society (SWWS) has called on Sarawak MPs to push for the decoupling of the remaining regressive amendments to the Federal Constitution on citizenship laws, to allow more time for research and consideration.
SWWS president Angie Garet said Sarawak should lead by example and consider all implications before rushing into changes, akin to the approach taken with the central database hub (Padu).
“Only the amendment ensuring gender equality for Malaysian mothers married to foreigners and giving birth should be passed.
“This was the issue which required a change to the constitution to ensure gender equality was not compromised.
“The other amendments have all been add-ons whose adverse impacts have not been fully considered,” she said in a statement.
Earlier today, home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail tabled the proposed amendments for the first reading in the Dewan Rakyat.
The bill will accord equal rights to children born overseas to Malaysian mothers by amending Part II of the Second Schedule to the Federal Constitution to allow automatic conferment of citizenship.
Garet also said the remaining proposed amendments will greatly impact children born to indigenous people in Sarawak and Sabah, as well as some Orang Asli in the peninsula if passed.
These children received red identity cards instead of blue ones because of difficulties in providing birth details for citizenship, she said.
“If the changes go through, these children will have difficulty receiving healthcare, attending school and, when of age, employment,” she said.
The Malaysian Citizenship Rights Alliance said the government should implement a transitional period or a grace period of three years before lowering the age limit to obtain citizenship from 21 to 18 years.
Stay current – Follow FMT on WhatsApp, Google news and Telegram
This is proposed to ensure that young individuals affected by the transition period are not denied their right to citizenship, it said in a statement.
