• yesterday
The Federal Court has postponed to Jan 27 the hearing of an appeal for citizenship of children born overseas to Malaysian mothers with foreign spouses.

The court said the adjournment was to give time for both parties to reach an agreement on the matter.

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Transcript
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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