DENYING citizenship rights to children born overseas to Malaysian mothers with foreign spouses is “mediaeval thinking,” Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz said.

“This is discrimination that should not happen in 2021. This is mediaeval thinking,” the Padang Rengas MP told the Dewan Rakyat while debating the royal address.

Citing reports, Nazri said children inherit 50% of each parents’ genes and that the “innocent child” did not choose where to be born.

The former minister urged Putrajaya to withdraw its appeal against the Kuala Lumpur High Court’s decision to confer automatic citizenship to children born overseas to Malaysian mothers with foreign spouses on September 9.

Nazri agreed with Sultan of Johor Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar that the government should take the “Keluarga Malaysia” approach in this issue.

He said it seems like the government is pushing away those who may want Malaysian citizenship, which runs counter with the Malaysian Family concept.

Putrajaya filed an appeal to quash the judgment at the Court of Appeal on September 13. 

On September 9, 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.

The judgment was based on constitutional provisions on citizenship rights, which are to be read together with provisions against gender discrimination. – September 20, 2021.