KUALA LUMPUR: With less than two months left for the Parliament to start its session, Family Frontiers continues their call for the Citizenship Amendment Bill 2024 to be amended further to be retroactive.

Family Frontiers president Adlyn Adam Teoh said keeping the amendment retroactive was crucial as it could provide a pathway for adults aged 21 and above born abroad to Malaysian mothers to continue their application for citizenship.

“We would like the government to please have a pathway for people who are above 21, to apply for citizenship.

“That is why we ask them to do it (amendment of the Bill) retroactively - so the children who are now above 21 years old can have a chance to become citizens. Especially those who have strong ties to the country,” she said when met at the “Ibu Merdeka untuk Ibu Pertiwi” event held in Taman Tugu here, on Saturday (Sept 21).

Under the current laws, the citizenship application of children born to a Malaysian mother can be made up to the age of 21.

Mothers with children born overseas rely on this as the application process could take years.

Adlyn hoped the government would also consider the request by Malaysian mothers to proceed with the citizenship amendment proposal and decouple with the regressive articles.

“The request is simple and practical as we have seen the cases on the ground ourselves. We hope the government understand that some mothers are not living abroad and have forgotten their roots.

“Some mothers are forced to live abroad longer because she might be abused,” she added.

One mother, who only wanted to be named Sarah said she recently left an abusive relationship with her husband abroad and now is faced with another challenge to keep her family safe.

While Sarah and her son can return to Malaysia safely, she is facing challenges to obtain citizenship for her eight-year-old child.

“I have always wanted my son to have Malaysian citizenship but unfortunately, life was not what I planned. Now, I am fighting for my son - I want him to be safe at all costs,” she added.

Without citizenship, Sarah said her son is also unable to enrol in public school at the start of the session.

“My son was instead forced to wait until all Malaysian children had joined. This delay meant he would begin school later, losing two to three weeks of classes,” she said.

At the event, Family Frontiers celebrated the mothers who are fighting for their children born overseas to obtain Malaysian citizenship.

Among them is Josil Murray, 41, who is celebrating her four-year-old daughter, Alma, citizenship approval after applying for a couple of years.

Josil, was in Thailand when she had to give birth to her daughter during the height of the pandemic in 2020, when travel restrictions were imposed.

“I was very happy and emotional when I received the papers for my daughter’s citizenship. Before that, I had to renew my daughter’s visa every year since we were able to return to Malaysia two years ago.

“My job requires me to travel everywhere but I am a Malaysian wherever I am.

“My family is rooted here and I want to have the comfort of knowing that my daughter will be with my family if anything ever happens to my husband and I,” the forestry expert

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2024/09/21/group-continues-call-to-make-citizenship-amendment-bill-retroactive