KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian mothers with foreign spouses want this year's National Day to be the last one that their overseas-born children celebrate without citizenship.
They are now counting on the Federal Court to allow them to pass their citizenship to their kids, irrespective of their birthplace.
Family Support and Welfare Selangor and Kuala Lumpur (Family Frontiers) president, Suriani Kempe said discriminatory provisions must be amended immediately to affirm that Malaysian women are not second-class citizens.
"Independence should be enjoyed equally by all members of 'Keluarga Malaysia'. And yet, after 65 years of independence, Malaysian women are still treated like stepchildren in their own land.
"Our children are not any different from those born to Malaysian fathers married to foreign women.
"Their mothers are Malaysian citizens. They can speak Bahasa Melayu fluently. They can sing the Negaraku with utmost pride and recite the Rukun Negara by heart.
"So, of course we want our children to be granted equal rights to education, healthcare and the same quality of life – not more, not less," she said at a Merdeka Day gathering organised by Family Frontiers at Taman Jaya, here, today.
Despite numerous attempts to convince the government to amend the discriminatory legislations, Suriani said those in power lacked the political will to resolve the matter.
"Since the Court of Appeal ruled against us on Aug 5, we have met with four cabinet ministers. But, it has become evident to us that the current government has no political will to amend the Federal Constitution to end our woes.
"Instead, the government is stalling any progress on this matter, giving excuses that they are waiting for the Federal Court's ruling first.
"The apex court, therefore, is our final hope. And we have complete confidence in the country's judiciary system.
"We don't want to rely on fate and sympathies of just one individual to decide the fate of our children. Malaysian women are not second-class citizens and neither are our children.
"Enough of 65 years of injustice. We must not let another generation of Malaysian women suffer the same fate," she said.
Several members of parliament (MPs) and assemblymen also participated in the event, including Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh, Batu Kawan MP Kasthuriraani Patto and Puteri Wangsa state assemblyman Amira Aisya Abd Aziz.
On Sept 9, 2021, the Kuala Lumpur High Court ruled that the government must grant citizenship to children born overseas to Malaysian mothers with foreign spouses.
Judge Datuk Akhtar Tahir, in his judgment, ruled the word "father" in Article 14(1)(b) of the Federal Constitution must be read together with Article 8(2) to include mothers and that their children were entitled to citizenship by operation of law.
However, on Aug 5, the Court of Appeal overturned the landmark ruling after two of the three-judge panel ruled that the word "father" in the Second Schedule of Part 11 of the Federal Constitution meant the biological father and cannot be extended to include the mother or parents.
Family Frontiers and six Malaysian mothers filed for an appeal at the Federal Court against the Court of Appeal's decision on Aug 25.
