PRIME Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob must instruct Attorney-General Idrus Harun to withdraw the government’s appeal against granting automatic citizenship rights to children born overseas to a Malaysian mother and a foreign father, Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh said.

According to Yeoh, the new prime minister’s ‘Keluarga Malaysia’ (Malaysian Family) slogan would otherwise be empty talk.

“He must urgently instruct the AG to withdraw the appeal, and similarly instruct the Home Ministry to respect and implement the high court’s decision.

“This episode alone has shown so many inconsistencies within his cabinet but the most glaring weakness is the failure of this government to protect women and children,” Yeoh said in a statement today.

“His one big Malaysian family concept is being tested and torn apart by this nonsensical and cruel decision by the AG to cause hardship and heartache to these mothers and their families,” the DAP lawmaker added, also describing the decision to appeal as “disgusting”.

She was reacting to news of the government’s appeal yesterday, following the high court’s decision on September 9.

She said withdrawing the appeal should be part of Ismail Sabri’s 100-day test as new prime minister after being sworn in on August 21.

Kuala Lumpur High Court judge Akhtar Tahir ruled that Malaysian mothers are allowed to confer their citizenship to their children born to foreign spouses overseas by operation of law.

The judgment was based on constitutional provisions for citizenship rights, which are to be read together with provisions against gender discrimination.

On this basis, Akhtar decided that the word “father” must be read to include mothers and that their children are entitled to citizenship by operation of law.

The legal challenge was filed by six Malaysian mothers as well as Family Frontiers in December last year.

Malaysian mothers married to foreign men are required to apply for Malaysian citizenship for their overseas-born children. Besides taking years for processing, approval is not guaranteed as the government has the right to reject such applications.

Activists have also highlighted how the practice has made Malaysia one of 25 countries in the world where such gender discrimination is still practiced.

Meanwhile, an online petition urging the government to withdraw its appeal has started, and has collected more than 4,000 signatures to date. – September 14, 2021.