KUALA LUMPUR: The amendment to the Federal Constitution concerning citizenship law was presented after going through a lengthy process, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
He said before the amendment was presented in the Parliament, it had to be presented to the Conference of Rulers, as well as the Sabah and Sarawak governments.
"It was presented to the Conference of Rulers, which has already taken place with no less than three rounds.
"This amendment also had to be presented to Sabah and Sarawak. All these processes have also been completed and both governments have given the green light," he said in a video in a Facebook post today (Oct 9).
Saifuddin said there was also engagement with non-governmental organisations, civil society, individuals and activists throughout this process.
He said the focus during the first week of the upcoming Dewan Rakyat session, set to begin on Oct 14, would be on this bill.
"There are actually eight aspects, but the highlight of this amendment is to allow children born abroad to a Malaysian citizen mother, while the father is a foreign citizen, to automatically receive citizenship.
"Prior to this amendment, children born abroad would obtain citizenship through registration or application.
"However, this time, when we amend the constitution… children born abroad by Malaysian mothers and foreign fathers will automatically receive citizenship by law, without the need to apply," he said.
However, he said this will take effect once the amendment is approved by the Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara.
He believed that members of parliament would prioritise the interests of the people far above their own sentiments and interests.
"We are confident that this is the right decision, and the task of the Home Ministry under the Madani government is to complete this process, present it to the parliament and hopefully, the outcome will bring significant benefits to Malaysia," he said.
The Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2024 had its second reading in Dewan Rakyat in March this year without any debate.
The amendments that were first proposed involved removing sections 1(e) and 2(3) of the Second Schedule, Part II of the Federal Constitution; removing the right of foundlings, including abandoned children, to citizenship by operation of law under Section 19B of the Second Schedule in Part III of the Constitution; and removing the words "permanent resident" in Section 1(a) of the Second Schedule in Part II of the Constitution.
However, several quarters have urged the ministry to further fine-tune the bill following "regressive" amendments to the citizenship laws.