WITH the proposed Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2024, specifically the provisions related to citizenship, set to be debated in Parliament, a growing number of Malaysian mothers are speaking out.
These women, whose lives have been profoundly affected by their inability to confer citizenship on their children, are raising their voices alongside their children to highlight the urgent need for reform.
For years, they've endured the emotional and financial toll of navigating a system that treats their children as foreigners in their own homeland.
Many have faced bureaucratic roadblocks, multiple rejections and endless delays.
Their children are denied access to basic rights and privileges, such as public education, healthcare and opportunities for Malaysians. The impact isn't just bureaucratic but deeply personal, with families being forced to live in limbo, uncertain of their children's future.
This isn't just a legal issue but a humanitarian one, with real families caught in a web of outdated laws. As Parliament prepares to debate the bill, these families are fighting for a future where citizenship laws reflect fairness, equality and the right to belong.
MALIA AND SON, DANIAL
Born in the Netherlands in 1998, Danial is now 26 and has lived in Malaysia as a non-citizen since he was 12. His mother couldn't pass on her citizenship, leaving him with his father's Dutch nationality. Though the family moved several times before settling in Malaysia in 2010, this is the only home Danial has ever known.
Attempts to secure Malaysian citizenship under Article 15(2) of the Federal Constitution have been thwarted by endless bureaucracy. Danial's family has been sent from office to office, across multiple states, repeatedly asked for additional documents like supporting letters from all Malaysian relatives and a new original birth certificate from the Netherlands. Each delay pushes Danial further from the citizenship he feels should be his.
Despite all their efforts, his application was still refused. In 2018, Danial made a final attempt to submit the documents as he had a promising opportunity in football, but without citizenship, he had to let it go.
Now a university student, Danial dreads the day he graduates. While others celebrate this milestone, for him, it marks the end of his student visa. "Every morning, I wake up knowing I'm one day closer to my student pass expiring. After I graduate, what then?" he reflects.
The strain has weighed heavily on his family. "My mother cried a lot because of this," Danial shares. "Why do we have to go to such lengths just to secure my citizenship?"
DEFNY AND SON, BRIAN
Defny Mohd Yusri, a mother from Pahang, has faced a long, challenging journey to secure citizenship for her eldest son, who was born in Mauritius. Divorced from her Mauritian husband, Defny is now a single mother raising two children in Malaysia. Her eldest, 23, holds Mauritian nationality, while her youngest, born in 2009, is Malaysian.
Determined to secure her son's rightful citizenship, Defny applied twice under Article 15(2), first in 2012 and again in 2014. Both applications were rejected without explanation, with the second rejection coming at a crucial time as her son finished Form 5. To keep him in school, she was forced to apply for a resident pass.
Without a Malaysian embassy in Mauritius, registering her son's birth abroad was impossible, adding to the bureaucratic hurdles. Over the years, her son has faced significant challenges — being denied schooling for six months, paying for a student pass every year, and being ineligible for government aid or public healthcare.
Now 23, her son has aged out of eligibility under Article 15(2), leaving him with only a work permit to remain in the country. "He has lived in Malaysia for 14 years; this is his home. He has nowhere else to go," Defny says, heartbroken.
ZINTRA AND HER TWO CHILDREN
Zintra, a Malaysian mother living in Saudi Arabia with her British husband, has faced a long and frustrating battle to secure Malaysian citizenship for her two children, aged 14 and 10.
Despite submitting all required documents under Article 15(2), her applications have repeatedly been rejected without explanation. Both children hold British nationality — her eldest was born in the United Kingdom, and the youngest in Saudi Arabia — leaving the family in a state of uncertainty.
Zintra has had to bear significant expenses for the application process, including trips back to Malaysia and obtaining authorised documents from embassies. Her frustrations are compounded by inconsistent assistance at the National Registration Department. On multiple visits, she encountered unhelpful officials, but during her most recent trip, she finally received clear guidance after two visits.
Her children's lack of Malaysian citizenship has created obstacles, particularly in education and sports. Both are talented swimmers, with her 10-year-old daughter, Isabel Jackson, winning five gold medals at a championship in Bahrain and reaching the finals in the Milo short course Malaysian championship. Despite their successes, their non-citizen status prevents them from participating in Malaysian competitions like Sukma.
CHRISTINE AND SON, DANNY
IN 2017, it was a happy moment for a Malaysian nurse and her Jordanian husband as they welcomed their son Danny in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Assured by the Malaysian embassy there that his citizenship would be easy to secure, they returned to Malaysia in 2018, only to face a painful reality. Danny, born abroad, was treated as a foreigner in his mother's homeland.
Rejection followed every attempt to secure his citizenship. Even everyday moments, like a family trip to the zoo, became overshadowed by bureaucracy. The final blow came this year, when Danny's citizenship application was rejected just as he was about to start school.
While his sister, born in Kuala Lumpur and recognised as both Malaysian and Jordanian, was embraced by the country, Danny was pushed to the margins, treated like a foreigner where he should have felt most at home.
Now, the family is considering to relocate to Australia, heartbroken at the thought of leaving the place they hoped to call home. Through it all, a mother's love and unwavering hope are driving Christine's fight for her son's rightful place in Malaysia.