Non-governmental organisation, Voice of the Children (VOC), estimated that there are 150,00 stateless children in Malaysia. A huge number of them are born in Malaysia, but because their father did not register the marriage with his foreign wife, their children are not given citizenship.
Second Schedule of the Federal Constitution says that “every person born within the Federation of whose parents one at least is at the time of the birth either a citizen or permanently resident in the Federation are citizens by operation of law”.
Clearly, marriage registration of the parents is not a pre-requisite to become a citizen. Home Ministry should review their procedure in granting citizenship.
In Malaysia, stateless children are denied basics right to education and healthcare. Only a handful has the opportunity to go to primary schools, most of them did not complete secondary education, and have no chance to go to public universities as they need to pay foreign students rate. Without proper education, these children will have great difficulties to excel in life and they will also have a problem to get a good job. Worse still, some of them might be involved in illegal activities.
Titiwangsa MP Datuk Johari in Abdul Ghani in Parliament today urged Home Ministry to resolve the issue. Deputy Home Minister Datuk Dr Wan Junaidi Bin Tuanku Jaafar in his reply said that Government would review the policy if there is consensus among all parties.
Children should not be made victims due to their parents’ carelessness and mistake. DAP support the move to grant citizenship to the stateless children whose fathers did not register the marriage with his foreign wife. I hope Datuk Dr Wan Junaidi can walk his talk.