Tolak pindaan regresif, teruskan pindaan hak kewarganegaraan setara kepada ibu-ibu Malaysia (Malay/English)

[ENGLISH VERSION BELOW] Gabungan organisasi masyarakat sivil (CSO), aktivis, pakar, serta individu yang terjejas, menyuarakan kebimbangan mengenai Rang Undang-undang Perlembagaan (Pindaan) 2024, khususnya peruntukan yang berkaitan dengan kewarganegaraan yang akan dibahaskan di Parlimen.

Dengan hanya [masa yang singkat] sebelum mesyuarat Dewan Rakyat bermula, pihak gabungan masih belum menerima sebarang kemas kini atau penambahbaikan terhadap rang undang-undang tersebut seperti yang diumumkan oleh Menteri Dalam Negeri pada Julai 2024.

Kurangnya ketelusan dan komunikasi ini amat membimbangkan dan bercanggah dengan janji kerajaan “Madani” untuk mendukung demokrasi yang lebih inklusif dan telus.

Pihak gabungan sebelum ini telah menegaskan bahawa rang undang-undang tersebut dalam bentuk semasanya mengandungi kelemahan kritikal yang jika tidak ditangani dan dibaiki akan memberi implikasi yang meluas kepada komuniti rentan di seluruh Malaysia, khususnya masyarakat pribumi Sabah, Sarawak dan semenanjung.

Menteri mesti secara telus mendedahkan butiran lengkap mengenai bagaimana beliau berhasrat untuk menangani kelemahan kritikal ini, termasuk penambahbaikan spesifik terhadap rang undang-undang atau sebarang peraturan berkaitan, dan memberikan masa yang mencukupi kepada semua pihak berkepentingan untuk mengkaji pindaan yang dicadangkan oleh kementerian.

Rang undang-undang ini tidak seharusnya diteruskan dalam bentuknya yang sedia ada kerana ia menggabungkan beberapa pindaan regresif dengan satu pindaan positif yang menangani hak ibu-ibu Malaysia.

Walaupun rang undang-undang ini mengandungi peruntukan positif yang membenarkan ibu-ibu Malaysia secara automatik memberikan kewarganegaraan kepada anak-anak mereka yang dilahirkan di luar negara, pihak gabungan setelah meneliti keseluruhan rang undang-undang ini mendapati hanya perkara ini satu-satunya pindaan yang progresif.

Walau bagaimanapun, pindaan ini juga tidak terpakai secara retrospektif, yang bermaksud bahawa anak-anak yang dilahirkan di luar negara oleh ibu-ibu Malaysia pada masa ini (termasuk mereka yang berumur lebih 21 tahun) akan terus didiskriminasi kerana mereka masih tidak mempunyai hak automatik untuk mendapatkan kewarganegaraan.

Rang undang-undang ini juga mengandungi tiga pindaan perlembagaan regresif yang akan memberi kesan negatif terhadap anak-anak penduduk tetap (PR), permohonan kewarganegaraan bagi kanak-kanak tanpa kewarganegaraan yang berumur lebih 18 tahun, dan pasangan asing kepada lelaki Malaysia.

Untuk menangani kemungkinan peningkatan kes tanpa kewarganegaraan yang disebabkan oleh pindaan ini, kami menyeru agar langkah-langkah perlindungan diperkenalkan dalam rang undang-undang ini supaya jaminan perlembagaan yang telah wujud sejak penubuhan persekutuan tidak terhakis.

Pihak gabungan ingin mengingatkan ahli-ahli parlimen bahawa walaupun perkara-perkara yang dibangkitkan semasa perbahasan parlimen direkodkan, ia tidak mengikat menteri atau kerajaan kepada dasar atau undang-undang tertentu.

Oleh itu, adalah penting bahawa semua langkah perlindungan dinyatakan secara jelas dalam rang undang-undang itu sendiri bagi memastikan tiada kekaburan atau risiko tafsiran yang salah pada masa hadapan.

Pihak gabungan juga mengambil maklum kenyataan media Suhakam yang menegaskan pendirian dan pandangannya terhadap pindaan yang dicadangkan.

Kemungkinan pendirian Suhakam tidak diguna pakai oleh kerajaan amat membimbangkan. Terutamanya apabila kementerian telah memberi jaminan kepada Majlis Raja-Raja bahawa rang undang-undang ini akan diperhalusi bersama Suhakam.

Kerajaan pada setiap masa wajib bertindak demi kepentingan rakyatnya. Dalam melaksanakan tanggungjawab ini, kerajaan tidak boleh beranggapan bahawa hanya mereka yang mengetahui perkara yang terbaik.

Dalam hal yang melibatkan hak dan kebebasan asasi, semua pihak berkepentingan mesti dilibatkan secara menyeluruh dan telus.

Kami menyeru agar menteri dalam negeri menarik balik pindaan yang berkaitan dengan penolakan kewarganegaraan automatik kepada anak-anak penduduk tetap Malaysia (seksyen 1(a)) dan memastikan pindaan untuk ibu-ibu Malaysia diberikan kesan retroaktif.

Di samping itu, langkah-langkah perlindungan yang perlu mesti dimasukkan bagi melindungi mereka yang berisiko menjadi tanpa kewarganegaraan akibat perubahan perlembagaan ini.

Semua menteri dan ahli parlimen telah diberikan salinan matriks yang disediakan oleh pihak gabungan dan masyarakat sivil dengan kerjasama akademik, pakar undang-undang dan wakil-wakil dari pelbagai negeri, termasuk Sabah dan Sarawak, yang menyediakan jalan tengah menangani kebimbangan kerajaan berkenaan isu keselamatan negara sambil melindungi hak kewarganegaraan mereka yang haknya berisiko disalahgunakan oleh kerajaan yang akan datang.

Mengambil kira kepentingan dan kerumitan isu ini sekiranya rang undang-undang ini diteruskan, kami memohon agar kerajaan mengasingkan perbahasan rang undang-undang ini dan mengundi berdasarkan setiap peruntukan secara berasingan bagi memastikan setiap bahagian diperhalusi dengan teliti.

Semua langkah perlindungan dan risiko perlaksanaannya mesti dibincangkan dan dibentangkan sepenuhnya secara telus sebelum ianya dibahaskan di Parlimen.

Kenyataan media ini dikeluarkan bagi pihak organisasi masyarakat sivil yang prihatin serta individu-individu yang terjejas. Kami menyeru orang ramai dan semua pihak berkepentingan  untuk  bersama-sama  kami  memastikan  Rang  Undang-undang Kewarganegaraan 2024 tidak menzalimi dan menyebabkan ketidakadilan dan tanpa kewarganegaraan terhadap komuniti-komuniti rentan di Malaysia.

English version

Halt regressive amendments; proceed with amendments granting Malaysian mothers equal citizenship rights

We, civil society organisations, activists, subject experts and affected individuals, express our grave concern over the upcoming Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2024 – specifically the provisions relating to citizenship – that is set to be debated in Parliament.

With [just a short time remaining] before the House of Representatives meeting begins, we have yet to receive any updates or refinements to the bill as announced by the Home Minister in July 2024.

This lack of transparency and communication is deeply troubling and contrary to the “Madani” (civil and compassionate) government’s promise of a more inclusive and transparent democracy.

We have previously highlighted that the bill, in its current form, contains critical flaws that, if not addressed, will have far-reaching consequences for vulnerable communities across Malaysia, not least the indigenous communities of Sabah, Sarawak and the peninsula.

The minister must transparently disclose full details of how he intends to address these critical flaws, including the exact refinements to the bill or any regulations to the bill, and give all stakeholders sufficient time to study the ministry’s proposed amendments.

The bill should not move forward in its current form, as it combines several regressive amendments with a positive amendment addressing the rights of Malaysian mothers.

While the bill contains a positive provision – allowing Malaysian mothers to automatically confer citizenship to their children born overseas – this is the only progressive amendment.

However, this amendment does not have retroactive application, which means that current overseas-born children (including those over 21) of Malaysian mothers will continue to be discriminated against as they will still not have an automatic right to citizenship.

The bill also includes three regressive constitutional amendments that will negatively affect the children of permanent residents (PR); citizenship applications of stateless children above 18; and foreign spouses of Malaysian men.

To address the potential increase in statelessness caused by these amendments, we call for safeguards to be introduced in the bill so that constitutional guarantees which have existed since the formation of the federation are not eroded.

We remind MPs that although points raised during parliamentary debates are recorded in the Hansard, they do not bind ministers or the government to specific policies or laws.

Therefore, it is crucial that all safeguards are explicitly included in the bill itself, ensuring no ambiguity or risk of future misinterpretation.

We note from Suhakam’s press statement that its views on the proposed amendments also seem to have been disregarded. The suggestion that even Suhakam’s concerns may have been discounted by this government is alarming, especially when the ministry appears to have given assurances to the Council of Rulers that it would fine-tune the bill with Suhakam.

This government must act in the best interests of its people. In so doing, this government must not assume that only it knows best. On matters involving fundamental rights and freedoms, all stakeholders must be meaningfully consulted.

We call on the home minister to withdraw the amendments related to the denial of automatic citizenship to children of Malaysian permanent residents (Section 1(a)) and ensure that the amendment for Malaysian mothers is made retroactive.

Additionally, necessary safeguards must be included to protect those at risk of statelessness due to these constitutional changes.

All ministers and MPs have been given copies of a matrix prepared by civil society groups in consultation and collaboration with academics, legal experts and representatives from the different states, including Sabah and Sarawak, which provides middle-ground to address the government’s stated concerns on national security issues, while safeguarding the citizenship rights of those whose rights risk being abused by successive governments.

In light of the urgency and complexity of this issue, should the bill continue to be tabled, we request that the government decouple the bill and vote on its provisions in parts, ensuring that each section is thoroughly scrutinised.

All safeguards should be fully discussed and risks presented transparently before any debate in Parliament takes place.

This press statement is issued on behalf of concerned civil society groups and affected individuals. We urge the public and all stakeholders to stand with us in ensuring that the Citizenship Bill 2024 does not perpetuate statelessness and injustice for vulnerable communities in Malaysia.

Endorsers:

Coalition/Networks:

1. Malaysian Citizenship Rights Alliance (MCRA) – 20 CSOs
2. National Early Childhood Intervention Council (NECIC) (representing 23 member organisations)
3. Gabungan NGO-NGO Masyarakat India (I25) 22 Member NGO

Civil society groups

1. Aliran
2. Advocates for Non-Discrimination and Access to Knowledge (Anak) Sabah
3. Architects of Diversity
4. Association of Toy Libraries Msia
5. Association of Women Lawyers (AWL)
6. Bait Al Amanah
7. Barefoot Mercy
8. Bersih
9. Borneo Komrad
10. Buku Jalanan Chow Kit
11. Centre for Human Rights Research & Advocacy (Centhra)
12. Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ)
13. Centre For Plantation Worker Studies (CPWS)
14. Centre For Road Safety And Research Studies (CRSRS)
15. Child Rights Information Centre (Chrince)
16. Childline Foundation
17. Citizens Against Enforced Disappearances (Caged)
18. Consumer Education And Environment Studies Centre (CEESTC)
19. Crib Foundation
20. Deaf Advocacy and Wellbeing National Organisation Malaysia (Dawn)
21. Demokrat UKM
22. Dewan Keusahawanan Malaysia India Bersatu
23. DHRRA Malaysia
24. Empower
25. END CSEC Network Malaysia
26. Engage
27. Era Consumer Malaysia
28. Engender
29. Federation of Malaysian Consumers Association (Fomca)
30. Fourth Media
31. G25
32. Gerakan Belia Sepunjabi Malaysia (GBSM)
33. Gindol Initiative for Civil Society Borneo
34. Greenpeace Malaysia
35. HaKita
36. Himpunan Advokasi Rakyat Malaysia
37. IIUM Student Union (IIUMSU)
38. Institut Reformasi Politik dan Demokrasi (Reform)
39. Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (Ideas)
40. Johor Women’s League (Jewel)
41. Justice for Sisters
42. Kelab Amal Prihatin Wanita Tapah
43. Kemban Kolektif
44. KLSCAH Civil Rights Committee
45. KLSCAH Youth
46. Lawyer Kamek, Sarawak
47. Legal Dignity
48. Make It Right Movement
49. Malaysia Consumer Advisory Association (MCAA)
50. Malaysia Stateless Alliance
51. Malaysian Association of Social Workers (MASW)
52. Malaysian Rare Disorder Society
53. Mandiri
54. Nation Building School (NBS)
55. North South Initiative
56. Pahang State Indian Affairs Community Welfare Development association
57. Persatuan Asia Tenggara Untuk Keselamatan Makanan Dan Perdagangan Adil Malaysia
58. Persatuan Kebajikan dan Kepenggunaan Wanita Malaysia (PKKWM)
59. Persatuan Kebajikan dan Pembangunan Pendidikan
60. Persatuan Kebajikan Jejak Kasih Kuching (Barefoot Mercy)
61. Persatuan Kebajikan Sokongan Selangor & KL (Family Frontiers)
62. Persatuan Pelindung Alam Sekitar , Tenaga, Air Dan Sumber Alam Malaysia
63. Persatuan Pemangkin Daya Masyarakat (PPDM | Rose)
64. Persatuan Pemangkin Daya Masyarakat (PPSM | Rose)
65. Persatuan Pembangunan Akademik dan Sahsiah Murid
66. Persatuan Pendidikan D’Wira Kuching
67. Persatuan Pengguna Klang
68. Persatuan Pengundi Muda (Undi18)
69. Pertubuhan Belia Hindu Pelabuhan Klang
70. Pertubuhan Belia Wawasan India Hulu Selangor
71. Pertubuhan Generasi Rakan Komuniti Hulu Selangor
72. Pertubuhan Kesejahteran Dan Aspirasi Rakyat Malaysia
73. Pertubuhan Pembangunan Dan Kemajuan Sekolah Tamil Malaysia (PPST)
74. Pertubuhan Pembangunan Generasi Hulu Selangor
75. Pertubuhan Pembangunan Kebajikan Dan Membela Insan Insan Malaysia
76. Pertubuhan Titian Digital Malaysia (PTDM)
77. Project Stability and Accountability in Malaysia (Projek Sama)
78. Protect and Save the Children Malaysia
79. PT Foundation
80. PurpleLily Social Association Kuching
81. Pusat Komas
82. Rural Consumer Organization Malaysia
83. Sabah Aids Support Services Association (Kasih)
84. Sabah Human Rights Centre (SHRC)
85. Sarawak OKU Skills Development Association (Sosda)
86. Sarawak Women for Women Society
87. Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia (SABM)
88. Seed Malaysia
89. Selangor & KL Hokkien Association Youth
90. Selangor & Wilayah Persekutuan Consumer Association
91. Selangor Consumer Welfare Association (SCWA)
92. Sisters in Islam
93. Society for Equality, Respect and Trust for All Sabah (Serata)
94. Society for Promotion of Human Rights (Proham)
95. Stateless Malaysians Citizenship Movement (SMCM)
96. MY
97. Suara Siswa UiTM
98. Sustainable Development Network (SDN)
99. Tamil Learning And Information Centre (Tlic)
100. Teroka
101. The Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4 Center)
102. The Management Institute For Social Change (Minsoc)
103. The OKU Rights Matter Project
104. The Rise Malaysia
105. Trades Union Resource Centre (TURC)
106. UM Feminism Club
107. Voice of the Children (VoC)
108. Voice of Youtharian (VoY)
109. Women’s Aid Organisation
110. Women’s Centre for Change (WCC)
111. World Health Relief Fund (WHRF)
112. Yayasan Chow Kit

Individuals:

1. Adrian Pereira
2. Afrina Adzhar
3. Alica Albert
4. Aliff Luqman Nasution bin Abdul Hamid
5. Andrew Khoo
6. Ariah Wani Binti Karim
7. Baskaran Irasan
8. Beverly Joeman
9. Brenda Rachel Lee
10. Chan See Yan
11. Chen Ket Chuin @ KC
12. Chuah Ee Chia
13. Cikgu Rahayu
14. Cristin Liauw
15. Dato Saravanan
16. Dato’ Ambiga Sreenevasan
17. Dato’ Dr Amar-Singh HSS
18. Davadass Anjan
19. Dr Anthony Chong
20. Dr Kanul Gindol
21. Dr Lyana Khairuddin
22. Dr Leong Han Ming (Daniel)
23. Dr Wong Chin Huat
24. Vizla Kumaresan
25. Elise Ho
26. Fan Siew Lee
27. Faridah Abdullah
28. Hamizah binti Shamsudeen
29. Rose Ismail
30. Heah Tze Ling
31. Hindu Saiva Sangam
32. Ineza Roussille
33. Jane Kasim
34. Jasmine Wong Kah Man
35. Jayanath Appudurai
36. Jeannie Low
37. Jeyakumar Varatharajoo
38. JoeAnn
39. Joelin Lim Ai Ling
40. Jr Thaddeus Jack Kinabalu Thaddeus
41. Karunaneethi Thangavel
42. Kelvin Lee Chi Kah
43. Kunjari Sambatham
44. Larissa Ann Louis
45. Lawrence Lim
46. Lee Cheah Cherng
47. Lee Seng Loong
48. Low Huiyi
49. Low Ying Chai
50. Lynnefra Y
51. Maha Balakrishnan
52. Malisse Tan
53. Marina Mahathir
54. Megan Steven
55. Mohd Nasir Mohd A
56. Neduncheliyan Adaikalam
57. Ngeow Chow Ying
58. Novinthen Krishnan
59. Nurul Akashah
60. Nurul Rafeeqa Afdul Mutolip
61. Ooi Eng Fong
62. Prakash Nagasvara Ravo
63. Ranee Sreedharan
64. Ravi Muniandy
65. Ray Teoh
66. Roselizaman
67. Rosita Mohd Hussain
68. Sathia Seelan Arumugam
69. Sharene Kam
70. Sharmela
71. Sherzali Herza Asli
72. Simraatraj Kaur
73. Tan Kim Hwa
74. Tay Chia Yi
75. Thilaga sulathireh
76. Thomas Fann
77. Zarul Afiq
78. Timothy Tean Chong Chern
79. Vanessa
80. Wong Hui Min
81. Wong Kueng Hui
82. Wong Yew Lee
83. Yap Swee Seng
84. Zainah Anwar

The views expressed in Aliran's media statements and the NGO statements we have endorsed reflect Aliran's official stand. Views and opinions expressed in other pieces published here do not necessarily reflect Aliran's official position.

AGENDA RAKYAT - Lima perkara utama

1. Tegakkan maruah serta kualiti kehidupan rakyat
2. Galakkan pembangunan saksama, lestari serta tangani krisis alam sekitar
3. Raikan kerencaman dan keterangkuman
4. Selamatkan demokrasi dan angkatkan keluhuran undang-undang
5. Lawan rasuah dan kronisme

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