KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 14 — DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang today urged ministers supportive of a court ruling granting automatic citizenship to foreign-born children of all Malaysian parents to advise the Cabinet to stop the legal appeal of the decision.
In a statement this morning, the Iskandar Puteri MP said the ministers should work on getting their fellow Cabinet members to support the cause.
“I call on ministers who oppose the government appeal against the High Court decision that children born overseas to Malaysian mothers are entitled to Malaysian citizenship by operation of law to jointly raise the issue to withdraw the government appeal at this week’s Cabinet meeting,” he said.
Lim said so far, at least three federal ministers had expressed their support for the High Court ruling: de facto Law Minister Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar; the Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Rina Harun Mohd Harun; and Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin.
“Are there no other Cabinet ministers who are in support of the High Court ruling, like the minister for tourism, arts and culture Nancy Shukri; the higher education minister, Noraini Ahmad; and the minister for national unity Halimah Mohamed Sadique?
“Wan Junaidi, Rina Harun and Zuraida Kamaruddin should jointly raise the issue of the government appeal at the Cabinet meeting this week and should canvass for support on the issue from other Ministers before the Cabinet meeting.
“This is a test as to what is the extent of their support for the High Court’s decision that children born overseas to Malaysian mothers are entitled to Malaysian citizenship by operation of law,” he added.
Earlier today Wan Junaidi said he would speak his mind if the Cabinet discussed the government’s appeal against the court ruling.
He told online news portal Malaysiakini that he was sympathetic with the six Malaysian mothers who filed the case in the High Court.
He said if the Home Ministry raises the issue officially in the cabinet, he would express his views candidly.
Wan Junaidi said an amendment to the Federal Constitution might be the best way to end the dilemma of the Malaysian mothers who could not automatically pass on their citizenship to their children born outside the country.
Former deputy women, family and community development minister Hannah Yeoh said the Perikatan Nasional government should withdraw the appeal.
Yeoh in a statement this morning urged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob to instruct the attorney general to withdraw the appeal and direct the home minister to respect and implement the High Court’s decision.
