Our associate, Jasmine Wong, spoke as a panelist at UndiMsia!Chat on Citizenship & Statelessness. The event was organized by the Malaysian Centre for Constitutionalism and Human Rights (MCCHR) and the United Kingdom Malaysian Law Students’ Association (KPUM) on 12.9.2019 to raise awareness on the legal battle for equal citizenship rights by the residents of our country.
Jasmine explained and provided examples of those who would be stateless: foundlings who were abandoned by their birth parents; children whose biological mother is a foreigner; children who were born before the registration of the parents’ marriage; and individuals who inherit the status of statelessness from their stateless parents.
Jasmine further shared her views on the interpretation of the constitutional provisions, particularly Article 14 and Sections 1(a) to (e) of Part II of the Second Schedule of the Federal Constitution. Jasmine answered a variety of questions on the citizenship of abandoned children who were adopted by Malaysians and the discrimination faced by women who wish to confer citizenship to their children who were born overseas.
The other panelists, Dr Hartini Zainuddin (Founder; Yayasan Chow Kit), Melissa Sasidaran (Director; Lawyers for Liberty) and Larissa Ann Louis (Associate; Azri, Lee Swee Seng & Co), spoke on the hardships and struggles faced by stateless people and their families which included ways that society can push for change.
Link to the event: https://www.facebook.com/events/378456022837697/?active_tab=about
Note: This article does not constitute legal advice to any specific case. The facts and circumstances of each and every case will differ and therefore will require specific legal advice. Feel free to contact us for complimentary legal consultation.
