Malaysia to amend law on children born abroad

By Alperen Aktas

ISTANBUL (AA) – Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Monday that a new law would be introduced regarding the citizenship of overseas-born children of Malaysian mothers.

Citizenship is not granted in Malaysia to children born abroad to Malaysian women but is granted to children of Malaysian fathers.

He stated that the purpose of the new regulation would ensure that Malaysian mothers are given equal rights as per the Federal Constitution, local media Free Malaysia Today reported.

“It’s not fair to have just the father but not the mother. That is the only matter to be presented,” he told reporters at a law conference in Kuala Lumpur.

The premier said they will be introducing “amendments to the Federal Constitution to replace the words ‘whose father’ in Part I and Part II of the Second Schedule with the words ‘at least one of the parents’.”