KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is a sovereign nation that will not grant citizenship easily, including to children without identity cards, stressed Minister of Home Affairs Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin.
He said being born in Malaysia does not automatically grant someone citizenship.
He explained that an individual’s citizenship status is determined by the marital status and citizenship of the biological parents at the time of birth, in accordance with provisions under the Federal Constitution, the Malaysian Citizenship Regulations 1964, and relevant laws.
“Parents and guardians of individuals classified as children without identity cards or individuals whose citizenship status is undetermined must submit valid documents to the government before citizenship applications can be approved, as there have been cases of fraud,” he said during the question-and-answer session at the Dewan Rakyat today.
Hamzah was responding to a question from Dr. Kelvin Yii Lee Wuen (PH-Bandar Kuching) who asked about the government’s plans to ease the process of obtaining citizenship status for children without identity cards in order to address the issue quickly and holistically.
Hamzah said the ministry has improved the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Citizenship Applications under Article 15A of the Federal Constitution, shortening the processing time for complete applications received from 2020 onwards.
He said the improvements to the SOP are based on compliance with the conditions under Part III of the Federal Constitution and the Malaysian Citizenship Regulations 1964, taking into account various aspects including the welfare of applicants without neglecting the safety and well-being of existing citizens.
Answering an additional question from Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal (Warisan-Semporna) regarding solutions for the issue of children without identity cards or stateless children, Hamzah said:
“What is important to us is that if we cannot grant citizenship, at least ensure they have an identity to live in our country. To me, they are citizens of the world, whether they are in Sabah or anywhere else.”
Source: http://www.astroawani.com/berita-malaysia/malaysia-tidak-beri-kewarganegaraan-dengan-mudah-kdn-251121
