Wong speaking to the media at a press conference held at the party’s headquarters at Jalan Pending in Kuching on April 2, last year. – Photo by Chimon Upon
KUCHING (Sept 22): Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) is appalled and deeply disappointed by the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government’s move to appeal against the Kuala Lumpur High Court’s decision that children born overseas to Malaysian mothers with foreign spouses should be automatically conferred Malaysian citizenship.
“We view this as a big set-back towards greater justice and equality for our Malaysian women citizens.
“We are totally against any form of gender discrimination and fully support equal rights for women,” said its president Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh in a statement today.
Wong said that on this premise, PSB concurred with Family Frontier’s statement that “by appealing against the court decision, justice had been delayed not just to Malaysian women, but their children and their extended families as well”.
He pointed out the PN government’s action sent “a clear message that they are in favour of the continued discrimination and marginalisation of Malaysian mothers”.
“The government has chosen to perpetuate this gross injustice that has plagued Malaysia since independence, the weight of which women from Sarawak have also borne for 58 long years,” he said.
Wong said PSB also called on the de facto Law Minister Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar to explain his ‘contradicting stand’ as he was among the first to find the High Court landmark decision ‘illuminating’, but then went along with the Attorney-General Chambers (AGC) to appeal against the very same ruling.
“This only serves to highlight the many inconsistencies within the PN Cabinet and the glaring weakness of this government’s ability to protect women and children.” he added.
Wong said PSB, as a local-based Sarawak party fighting for the rights and interests of the multi-racial citizens, shall also hold the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) leadership to account should the appeal proceed as this will undoubtedly confirm that they are supporting a federal government that is in favour of the continued discrimination and marginalisation of Malaysian mothers and children.
He noted that the Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar summed it up with a strong and timely reminder to the government to respect the spirit of the Malaysian Family espoused by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
“PSB concurs with His Highness (the Sultan of Johor) and believes in justice, fairness and equality for all under the common umbrella of citizenship and urges the PN government to withdraw the appeal against the said High Court’s ruling.
“This is the time for the PN government to put its money where its mouth is,” he said.
In a landmark decision made on Sept 9 this year, the High Court ruled that children born overseas to Malaysian mothers with foreign spouses should be automatically conferred Malaysian citizenship.
The Court ruled that Article 4(1)(b) of the Federal Constitution together with the Second Schedule, Part II, Section 1(b), pertaining to citizenship rights, must be read in harmony with Article 8(2), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender.
High Court judge Datuk Akhtar Tahir ruled the word ‘father’ must therefore be read to include mothers, and that their children are entitled to citizenship by operation of law.
Wong said that the learned High Court Judge recognised that the provisions in the Federal Constitution are discriminatory and that the “discrimination is apparent”.
“Malaysians warmly applauded the decision and viewed the landmark decision as a ‘people’s victory’ against gender discrimination and even the de facto law minister Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar joined in the chorus by saying that he found the decision by the High Court “illuminating”.
“The Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Rina Mohd Harun added to the glow by describing the decision as ‘a ray of home’ for Malaysian women and added that it reflected the government’s commitment to creating equality for women,” he said.
However, Wong lamented that any hope of ‘further illumination’ by the federal government was abruptly dimmed when the AGC filed a notice of appeal on Sept 13 to quash the High Court’s decision.
“Attorney-General Tan Sri Idrus Harun was quoted in a text message to FMT on the same day that the notice of appeal had been filed in the morning and he said three federal ministers, including law minister Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, had openly supported the decision,” Wong said.