By Afifah Adi
Edited by Harith Syafiee
Panel discussion on the amendment of Article 14 | Credit: Publication and Promotion Team
GOMBAK, 30th April 2024: In collaboration with Family Frontiers, The Intellectual Development Secretariat of IIUM Law Students' Society organised a panel discussion “#PindaPerkara14: What will it take for Malaysian Mothers to Have Equal Citizenship Rights?” on 29th April 2024 to shed light on the decades’ fight of pressuring the government to amend Article 14.
Taking place at Experimental Hall IIUM, the panel discussion specifically aims to enlighten people on the issues behind Malaysia’s current citizenship laws and the proposed amendment. Three experienced guests, Dr Nor Hafizah, Adlyn Teoh and Danial Bogers were invited to share their perspectives and represent the voices of many struggling Malaysian mothers in applying for citizenship for their overseas-born children.
The programme was commenced by Dr Mohamad Asmadi bin Abdullah, Deputy Dean of Ahmad Ibrahim Kulliyyah of Laws (AIKOL), who encouraged the audience to listen emphatically to the experience of Malaysian mothers and take action to end this injustice.
Dr Mohamad Asmadi on calling for gender inclusivity | Credit: Publication and Promotion Team
A short film screening of Mrs Aini was then played in the hall, showing her day-to-day struggle of taking care of her child who has been denied the right to free education and healthcare. The evening continued with the main agenda where the panelists took turns answering questions presented by the moderator.
Dr Nor Hafizah extensively explained the unfair citizenship rights under Article 14 towards women. The current law has denied Malaysian women who are married to foreign men and giving birth abroad from conferring Malaysian citizenship to their children, thus rendering the children stateless. It also creates an issue of gender inequality as their male counterparts do not face the same treatment as they can easily confer their citizenship despite being married to foreign women.
A representative from Family Frontiers, Adlyn Teoh, expressed her disappointment with the unjust system by relaying the inaccuracies and lack of information she received when she gave birth to her son in Beijing. Having been told the wrong information, she was incredibly impacted by the law when her son could not be conferred Malaysian citizenship when her family moved back to Malaysia.
The law also affects the children's lives as they are not entitled to receive the same rights as other Malaysian children and one of those unfortunate is Danial Bogers.
Being an impacted child himself, this discussion resonates deeply with Danial as he grew up having to constantly renew his tourist visa to be able to stay in Malaysia even though his mother is Malaysian. Throughout his childhood and teen years, he faced many challenges in navigating his life and identity as a Malaysian who was often ridiculed by others.
Following the one-hour discussion, a Q&A session was open to allow the audience to include their thoughts and have their curiosities answered. The panel discussion ended with a token of appreciation given to the respected guests.
A token of appreciation was given to Dr Nor Hafizah, Adlyn Teoh and Danial Bogers | Credit: Publication and Promotion Team
Toward the end of the programme, the audience was invited to join the placard-making session by including the hashtags #SayaJugaAnakMalaysia and #PindaPerkara14UntukIbu! in amplifying the voices of Malaysian mothers and children. May this issue soon be resolved and a promising result be achieved in favour of those affected by the current citizenship law.***
Photography session with placards held up by participants | Credit: Publication and Promotion Team
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