SHAH ALAM - The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) urged the government to streamline citizenship applications for children born overseas to Malaysian mothers with foreign spouses.
This, the human rights body argued, would be a significant step towards ending discriminatory nationality practices.
"Birth registration is important, and it gives legal identity to a person born and it should not be equated to conferring an individual with a nationality.
"It safeguards and guarantees a person's legal, social and economic rights,” Suhakam Commissioner Professor Datuk Noor Aziah Mohd Awal said during the 2070th Meeting of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) yesterday.
She also stressed the importance of removing barriers to birth registration, ensuring everyone has a legal identity per the Federal Constitution's mandate of equality.
While applauding the government's move towards automatic citizenship for these children, Aziah expressed concerns about proposed amendments potentially worsening statelessness.
Concerns Regarding Proposed Amendments
Suhakam highlighted specific points in the Constitution Amendment Bill 2024 that raised red flags: