‘Sympathy is cheap’: DAP MP mocks home minister for barring citizenship of kids born to Malaysian mums abroad
In her speech debating the 12th Malaysia Plan, the Kulai MP said that Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin’s expression of sympathy in Parliament last week on the ordeal faced by such mothers is ‘cheap’, without the political will to initiate the much-needed solution. — Picture by Firdaus Latif
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 29 — Former deputy education minister Teo Nie Ching today criticised the government over its bid to appeal against the High Court decision granting automatic citizenship to children born abroad to Malaysian mothers with foreign spouses.
In her speech debating the 12th Malaysia Plan, the Kulai MP said that Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin’s expression of sympathy in Parliament last week on the ordeal faced by such mothers is “cheap”, without the political will to initiate the much-needed solution.
Teo expressed her disappointment with the government’s decision to appeal and Hamzah’s promise of efforts to pave for legal amendments on the issue, lamenting that it is simply taking too much time to address the prolonged miseries of many mothers.
“The home minister himself said that he deeply sympathises with the situation faced by these mothers. I want to say it here, sympathy is cheap if he does not have the courage to approve all such applications under powers vested in Article 15(a),” she said.
Article 15(a) provides special power for the federal government to register children as citizens.
“So I want to ask that as a minister who said himself, that he sympathises with these mothers plight, what is he going to do now? Is he going to ask these mothers and children to wait longer? Word is cheap, sympathy is cheap,” she said, adding that many MPs have also urged the government to halt its appeal.
Teo said that between 2013 and 2018, the Home Ministry had rejected 7,315 applications for children to get citizenship, under Section 15 (2).
Article 15(2) allows for the federal government to confer citizenship to anyone under the age of 21 who at least has one parent who is a Malaysian citizen (or was at death), upon application made to the federal government by his or her parent or guardian.
“At the same time, 4,959 applications are still being processed. Only 142 applications have been approved. So I want to ask if the government now continues its appeal in the Court of Appeal and at the same time is working to amend the Federal Constitution, how long more must the 8,674 applicants wait? How many months or years more do they have to wait?” she asked.
Teo also called on the government to immediately approve all such applications and not give excuses.
At the same time, she said the ministry must also look into issues of Malaysian men not registering their marriages to foreigners, whose children also struggle to obtain automatic citizenship, despite being born in Malaysia.
She said that between 2018 and 2020, of the 6,489 applications for citizenship under Article 15(a) for the aforementioned situation, only 2,969 citizenship certificates were issued.
Last week, the Home Ministry said it applied for a stay of execution order on a ruling recognising children born to Malaysian mothers and foreign fathers as Malaysian citizens, as it wishes to amend the Constitution over the matter.
The High Court in Kuala Lumpur had affirmed Malaysian women’s equal rights under the Federal Constitution — which only Malaysian men have been enjoying for decades — to confer citizenship automatically on their children born overseas to foreign spouses.
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 29 — Former deputy education minister Teo Nie Ching today criticised the government over its bid to appeal against the High Court decision granting automatic citizenship to children born abroad to Malaysian mothers with foreign spouses.
In her speech debating the 12th Malaysia Plan, the Kulai MP said that Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin’s expression of sympathy in Parliament last week on the ordeal faced by such mothers is “cheap”, without the political will to initiate the much-needed solution.
Teo expressed her disappointment with the government’s decision to appeal and Hamzah’s promise of efforts to pave for legal amendments on the issue, lamenting that it is simply taking too much time to address the prolonged miseries of many mothers.
“The home minister himself said that he deeply sympathises with the situation faced by these mothers. I want to say it here, sympathy is cheap if he does not have the courage to approve all such applications under powers vested in Article 15(a),” she said.
Article 15(a) provides special power for the federal government to register children as citizens.
“So I want to ask that as a minister who said himself, that he sympathises with these mothers plight, what is he going to do now? Is he going to ask these mothers and children to wait longer? Word is cheap, sympathy is cheap,” she said, adding that many MPs have also urged the government to halt its appeal.
Teo said that between 2013 and 2018, the Home Ministry had rejected 7,315 applications for children to get citizenship, under Section 15 (2).
Article 15(2) allows for the federal government to confer citizenship to anyone under the age of 21 who at least has one parent who is a Malaysian citizen (or was at death), upon application made to the federal government by his or her parent or guardian.
“At the same time, 4,959 applications are still being processed. Only 142 applications have been approved. So I want to ask if the government now continues its appeal in the Court of Appeal and at the same time is working to amend the Federal Constitution, how long more must the 8,674 applicants wait? How many months or years more do they have to wait?” she asked.
Teo also called on the government to immediately approve all such applications and not give excuses.
At the same time, she said the ministry must also look into issues of Malaysian men not registering their marriages to foreigners, whose children also struggle to obtain automatic citizenship, despite being born in Malaysia.
She said that between 2018 and 2020, of the 6,489 applications for citizenship under Article 15(a) for the aforementioned situation, only 2,969 citizenship certificates were issued.
Last week, the Home Ministry said it applied for a stay of execution order on a ruling recognising children born to Malaysian mothers and foreign fathers as Malaysian citizens, as it wishes to amend the Constitution over the matter.
The High Court in Kuala Lumpur had affirmed Malaysian women’s equal rights under the Federal Constitution — which only Malaysian men have been enjoying for decades — to confer citizenship automatically on their children born overseas to foreign spouses.
This is like Telly-ban discrimination against women, who are no longer allowed to be educated. Women are Kelas Dua. Our Kerajaan Allah is becoming aligned with the Caliphate.
ReplyDeleteAnd 5000 yo Bullyland say this is OK, let Afghans decide what to do, don't interfere, we are only here to Build Debts and Roads.
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Afghan women no longer allowed to teach or attend classes at Kabul University: Report
News9 Staff
Wed, 29 September 21
Mohammad Ashraf Ghairat, the Taliban’s recent pick for the new Vice-Chancellor of Kabul University, said that the women will no longer be allowed to attend class or work until an Islamic environment is created.
According to CNN report, Ghairat posted a tweet saying, “As long as real Islamic environment is not provided for all, women will not be allowed to come to universities or work. Islam first.”
The comment from Ghairat comes days after he said that the university was working on a plan to accommodate teaching female students but did not say when this plan would be completed by.
“Due to shortage of female lecturers, we are working on a plan for male lecturers to be able to teach female students from behind a curtain in the classroom. That way an Islamic environment would be created for the female students to get education,” he had tweeted in Pashto.
Notably, Ghairat’s appointment as Vice-Chancellor of Kabul university had sparked massive outrage on social media. He had once called for the killing of journalists.
“A spy journalist is more dangerous than a hundred Arbaki (Local Police/Paramilitary). I doubt the faith of those who restrain from killing journalists. Kill Spy Journalists. Contain Media,” the Kabul University’s Vice-Chancellor had said in a tweet in June last year, which was deleted later.
Responding to the netizens, Ghairat claimed the criticism is unfair. “I request you to calm down and inquire about me and my academic background,” he said.
Recently, the video of a young Afghan girl demanding her right to go back to school has gone viral.
In a minute-long video, the girl fearlessly challenged the Taliban and raised her demand for education. She asked Taliban leaders that why they are taking away the right and opportunity from them when both men and women are equal before ‘Allah’.
Last week, the Taliban government permitted high schools to reopen for only boys and male teachers.
However, there was no mention of girl students or women teachers in the education ministry’s announcement declaring resumption of school classes for boys in grades seven to 12 from Saturday.
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Teoh oredy Roar....ha ha ha...still no Meow from Wee KHAT Siong, I guess MCA is OK with this.
ReplyDelete