The 42 DAP MPs will vote in support of a constitutional amendment to provide for equal rights for Malaysian women to confer citizenship on children born overseas

The 42 DAP MPs will vote in support of a constitutional amendment to provide for equal rights for Malaysian women to confer citizenship on children born overseas.

Article 14 of the Federal Constitution allows Malaysian men to pass on citizenship to their children born overseas, with approval being obtained within a month of applying for citizenship.

But Malaysian women with foreign spouses have to apply for their children’s citizenship under a different provision - Article 15 (2) of the Federal Constitution.

Some women had waited more than two years to obtain citizenship for their children, while others had their application rejected without a reason.

Those who reapplied for Malaysian citizenship for their children after being unsuccessful the first time around were often rejected yet again without a reason being given.

DAP MPs support the amendment of Article 14 of the Constitution to replace the word "father" with "at least one parent", in order to grant Malaysian women the same rights as Malaysian men.

Children of Malaysian women who are born overseas should have the right to citizenship by the operation of law on an equal basis with the children of Malaysian men.

Malaysia is among 25 countries which denied women equal rights to pass on citizenship to their children.

The bureaucratic challenges faced by women in applying for citizenship for their children were among the reasons for Malaysia’s brain drain.

Many Malaysians living overseas were married overseas. They met their spouses while working and they wanted to return home. As Malaysia continues to lose its precious talent due to this bureaucratic process, it needs to be changed.