KUALA LUMPUR: MCA has lauded the Cabinet's decision to amend the Federal Constitution, allowing children born to Malaysian mothers overseas to obtain Malaysian citizenship automatically.
Party president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong said this has always been his stand and he had raised the matter in the cabinet before.
"During my courtesy call to Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution in January 2023, he had promised to present the amendments of the law to Dewan Rakyat as soon as possible.
"Meanwhile, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reformation) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said had also said this amendment of the Federal Constitution is to ensure equal rights for all Malaysians, regardless of their gender," he said in a statement.
The former Transport Minister said the amendment was also included in the Barisan Nasional (BN) manifesto for the 15th General Election (GE15) and was raised at the delegate meeting of Wanita BN before GE15.
On Dec 18, 2022, one of the resolutions passed at the MCA annual general meeting was to support amendments to the Federal Constitution so that children born to Malaysian mothers with foreign spouses can obtain Malaysian citizenship automatically.
"Let's hope that the amendment process can be carried out smoothly," he said.
Meanwhile, former Wanita MCA chief Datuk Heng Seai Kie thanked the Unity Government for having the political will to propose the amendment.
"When I helmed Wanita MCA as its national Chairperson, we held dialogues with Family Frontiers and other women's groups to urge the government to make the said amendments," she said.
The Cabinet in its weekly meeting on Feb 17 agreed to amend the Federal Constitution, in particular, Section 1(1)(d) and Section 1(1)(e) of Part I in the Second Schedule, and Section 1(b) and Section 1(c) in Part II of the same schedule.
"I hope there will be no more delays in enacting these Constitutional amendments so that these infants of Malaysian mothers will enjoy the equal right to citizenship as would newborns to Malaysian fathers born abroad.
"The welfare of Malaysian children be they within our country or beyond our shores must never be neglected," said the former Deputy Women, Family and Community Development minister.
She added that the equal right to citizenship also bodes well for Malaysia in terms of reducing brain drain and enabling talent gain.