THE Home Ministry has established a special committee to look into all matters regarding citizenship, its minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said.

He said the committee will also give attention to citizenship issues for children born abroad to Malaysian women who are married to foreigners.

“As the new home minister, I want to simplify the entire citizenship application process, including the cases that are pending, without compromising national security.

“I can also confirm the matter announced by Azalina (Othman Said) and the committee will pay attention to the citizenship issue of children born to Malaysian women with foreign spouses,” he said during a press conference at the National Registration Department in Putrajaya today.

Previously, the law and institutional reform minister said the government will begin the process of amending the Federal Constitution to resolve the issue of citizenship for children were born overseas to Malaysian women with foreign spouses.

The amendment to Part II of the 2nd Schedule of the Federal Constitution is to enable children born to Malaysian women abroad to have the same citizenship rights as children of Malaysian fathers born abroad.

Saifuddin said the proposals made by the committee will be brought to the cabinet next month.

He also said that the government will challenge a court ruling made against it on the citizenship issue for children born abroad by Malaysian women married to foreign men.

“The government lost at the High Court level and won at the Court of Appeal. We need to let this case go through the proper legal process.

“While this case is going on in the Federal Court, that will not stop the new government from looking at constitutional amendments on the citizenship issue.

“I think this case has no effect from the point of view of our plan to move towards the issue of citizenship in the law that we need to improve,” he said.

On December 14, the Selangor & Kuala Lumpur Family Support and Welfare Association (Family Frontiers) and six women obtained permission to continue their appeal against the appellate court’s decision. – January 9, 2023.