KUALA LUMPUR, March 25 — Perikatan Nasional (PN) MPs have expressed discontent over proposed provisions that have been removed from the Constitutional Amendment Bill 2024 which affects citizenship laws.
PN chief whip Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan said the government did not explain why certain proposed amendments — despite a lengthy engagement with PN MPs — were removed from the Bill and proceeded to be tabled for its First Reading today.
“The government of the day came up with the proposed amendments, to Article 15A (ii) to create ‘no more automatic citizenship’, you must go through registration, that was the government’s proposed amendment then.
“But why has it been changed suddenly? We can agree with the previous proposed amendments, but likely not with the proposed amendments now, due to many factors which we will debate in the Dewan Rakyat later, not here,” Takiyuddin told a press conference at the Parliament building here today.
The government had earlier tabled its Bill to make changes to citizenship laws in the Federal Constitution, including a long-awaited amendment to finally enable Malaysian mothers’ overseas-born children to also be entitled to automatic Malaysian citizenship.
In the Bill that was tabled by Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, the Malaysian government had removed amendments that would have affected foundlings in the country — whereby its initial proposed amendments sought to amend citizenship by “operation of law” to citizenship by “registration”.
Takiyuddin said should a Bill be faced with so much resistance, it is normal practice to send the Bill to the Parliamentary Special Select Committee (PSSC).
“It is normal in Parliament, when a Bill receives resistance from Opposition bloc MPs or sometimes even from government bloc MPs, for example, during the PN’s time, the Bill on generational-end game which was led by the health minister then — as it was not only opposed by Opposition bloc MPs, but also government bloc MPs — it was sent to the PSSC.
“So, in this regard, we agree that it be sent to the PSSC. It was suggested by the Opposition Leader to the home minister a while ago — why not you hold on, we give ample time to everyone, all stakeholders including NGOs to come up with their proposal or suggestions, and then we once and for all make complete amendments to the Constitution,” he said.
He further claimed that the home minister had definitely received the green light from the Cabinet to go ahead with previous proposed amendments.
“We can say this: Before he held the briefing with us, he definitely got the blessings and green light from the Cabinet. Why did he now change the proposal for this amendment?
“For us, it could be pressure from the Cabinet or certain quarters from the Cabinet. We don’t want to mention who, but we presume he received pressure from certain quarters either in the government or the Cabinet itself, that’s our presumption,” Takiyuddin said.
