20 March 2019

Press statement by Wanita MCA Chairman Datuk Heng Seai Kie


Heng to Govt: Allow M’sian women equal right as M’sian men to confer citizenship to their non-M’sian spouses & children born overseas

 

Wanita MCA stands in solidarity with the Joint Action Group (JAG) in their call that our nation should allow equal rights for Malaysian men and women to confer nationality on their spouses and children.

Article 8 of the Federal Constitution reads that “there shall be no discrimination on the ground of … gender.” However, the subsequent Articles in the Federal Constitution discriminate against women in that:

1)    Malaysian mothers cannot obtain Malaysian citizenship for their children born overseas while Malaysian fathers can

2)    Foreign wives of Malaysian men can obtain Malaysian citizenship after fulfilling several criteria and reside in Malaysia for two years. However, foreign husbands of Malaysian women can only apply for citizenship by naturalisation, after residing in Malaysia for 10 years.


These laws place restrictions on Malaysian women and are thus gender discriminatory. Even worse, innocent children are made to pay the price of their parents’ relationship. An infant is innocent and did not ask to be conceived or delivered. Our laws must stop punishing an innocent child who will hold a bleak future if his/her citizenship issues are not addressed, and he/she remains stateless.

As Malaysia is a signatory to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) as well as the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Wanita MCA urges reforms to the Federal Constitution whereby the highest laws of the land should be amended to remove all elements of discrimination against women or children not born of a legal marriage.

Malaysia is:

1)    One out of 25 countries that denies women the right to confer nationality on their children on an equal basis with men;

2)    One out of roughly 50 countries that denies women an equal right to confer nationality on their spouses


Surely the “New Malaysia” wants to reflect a nation that is progressive, where women are given the due respect and equal status as men. In this respect, Wanita MCA will give full support to whichever political party, irrespective of political inclination which will push for gender equality laws, as well as ensuring children of whom at least one parent is a Malaysian, irrespective of place of birth, are accorded with citizenship as due to them.

Datuk Heng Seai Kie
Wanita MCA Chairman


-MCA online-