Proposed amendments to citizenship issues should solve them, not make matters worse

Tightening of citizenship conferment can be done in a way but not by removing the safeguards.

Family lawyer Goh Siu Lin said the priority should instead be placed on ensuring Malaysian mothers are able to confer citizenship to their children.

"This is a less controversial amendment provided that it's drafted properly. As for the other proposed amendments, I actually urge the government to take a step back and take further engagements with civil society and policy makers, legal research officers, because the repercussions are just tremendous," said Goh, who is also the Co-Chair of the Malaysian Collaborative Practice Group.

She was speaking to Astro AWANI's Consider This during a session centred on the proposed amendments to Part III of the Federal Constitution allowing children born to Malaysian mothers abroad to obtain Malaysian citizenship.

Also featured during the session was Maalini Ramalo, Director of Social Protection, Development of Human Resources for Rural Areas Malaysia (DHRRA).

She also expressed concerns at the proposed amendments as briefed to her by the Home Ministry.

"I could not understand how the amendments were going to help children that are affected by various situations concerning statelessness.

"I just sat there and when the amendments were being shared one by one, I realised that these amendments does not address the issues.

"It was really a very distressing moment because I have real cases of people who are waiting for years and years and now they are above 21 years old, they have been given so many limitations in their life.

"So, I was definitely very shaken sitting there thinking that what's going to happen to this Malaysian families. We're not even talking about foreigners, this has nothing to do with refugees, this has everything to do with Malaysian families having children who are stateless," she added.