Episode 33 - Equal before the Law

September 9, 2021 - It was a day of reckoning. A day of joy and celebration for Malaysian mothers who have been trying so hard for years to finally get an affirmation by the Kuala Lumpur High Court that children born overseas to Malaysian mothers and foreign fathers are automatically entitled to Malaysian citizenship. However, the Attorney General's Chambers had filed an appeal against the high court decision on September 14.

In this episode, I speak to Ronan Collins, spouse to Malaysian mother, Choong Wai Li who is one of the six mothers together with Family Frontiers, started the legal proceedings last year seeking a declaration that Malaysian women married to foreign spouses can automatically get citizenship for their children who are born overseas. There were an estimated 40,000 pending applications from Malaysian women seeking citizenship for their children. Public pressures are mounting and growing calls by lawmakers, even members of the cabinet, to rescind the decision by the Attorney-General’s Chambers to appeal against the case.

Question is, will the new Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri uphold his mantra of “Keluarga Malaysia”?