00:00The federal court has postponed to January 27th the hearing of an appeal for citizenship
00:07of children born overseas to Malaysian mothers with foreign spouses.
00:12The court said the adjournment was to give time for both parties to reach an agreement
00:16on the matter.
00:18The appeal was brought before a five-judge panel chaired by Chief Justice Tun Tengku
00:23Maimuntuan Matt in Putrajaya on Tuesday.
00:27Earlier, Senior Federal Counsel Liu Hongbin told the court that the government was committed
00:33to a favourable result that is expedited for citizenship applicants.
00:38Liu said both parties have drafted an agreement but the terms will need final consent from
00:43the Home Minister.
00:44Datuk Dr Gurdial Singh Nijjar, Counsel for the Appellant Family Frontiers, an NGO, said
00:51his client's position is for all children born overseas to Malaysian mothers to be granted
00:56citizenship by operation of law.
01:26The court said the court's decision to postpone the hearing was to give time for both parties
01:33to reach an agreement on the matter.
01:36The court said both parties have drafted an agreement but the terms will need final consent
01:42from the Home Minister.
01:43The court said both parties have drafted an agreement but the terms will need final consent
01:48from the Home Minister.
01:49The court said both parties have drafted an agreement but the terms will need final consent
01:52from the Home Minister.
01:54Sometimes you have a family because the mother comes back, gives birth to a child in this
01:58country, the rest of the children are Malaysian citizens but there will be one child born
02:02overseas who is not a Malaysian citizen and he is not entitled to any of the benefits
02:06as a Malaysian citizen.
02:08So that has left a large number of children in a quandary and the government all these
02:13years has not been sympathetic to the plight of these children although they are here,
02:18they are living here with their parents and so that is where Family Frontiers brought
02:22this case and as a result of bringing this case we succeeded in the High Court and the
02:29court said yes, the mothers who brought the case, their children are citizens by operation
02:34of law and any other mother who is in the same position, Malaysian mother in the same
02:39position anywhere in the world is also entitled to citizenship by operation of law.
02:45On December 14, 2022, the Federal Court granted leave for appeal by Malaysian mothers whose
02:52children are born overseas.
02:54The appeal hearing was set for June this year but was postponed to today to allow the passing
03:00of the Constitution Amendment Bill 2024 in the Duon Rakyat.
03:05The bill was passed on October 17 by a two-thirds majority which granted automatic citizenship
03:11to children born abroad to Malaysian women with foreign spouses, albeit not applicable
03:15retrospectively.
03:17Family Frontiers President Suryani Kempe and six other mothers are appealing the Court
03:22of Appeal decision in August last year that reversed a High Court decision granting citizenship
03:28to these children.
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