PETALING JAYA: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced that the government will bring the proposed amendments to Article 14 (1) (b) of the Federal Constitution regarding the citizenship of children born overseas to Parliament this month. The Prime Minister stated that the amendment would change the word “father” to “parents” or “mother or father” after the draft was presented to the Conference of Rulers.
During the 2024 International Women’s Day celebration on Friday, Anwar expressed his satisfaction with the imminent change in the Federal Constitution. He emphasized, “I am happy to announce that the term ‘father’ in the Federal Constitution in terms of the right of children to become a citizen will be replaced by ‘parents’ or ‘mother or father’.”
Anwar attributed the successful amendment to the efforts of the Madani government led by the Minister of Women, Family and Community Development, Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri. He expressed confidence in receiving unanimous support for the amendments from members of Parliament in the Dewan Rakyat.
Also, Anwar highlighted the importance of addressing cases related to sexual harassment promptly. He instructed Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain to prioritize these cases, stating that the current laws and enforcement mechanisms are inadequate.
“It’s a shame, if we, as a country, talk about values and morals, but there are still painful news reports that knock on our hearts.” Anwar expressed concern about reports of mistreatment in hostels and maahad tahfiz where children are sent with hopes of instilling good morals.
He emphasized the need for strong national leadership to put an end to these abuses.
Accompanying the Prime Minister at the event were his wife, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, Minister Nancy, her deputy Datuk Seri Dr Noraini Ahmad, and other Cabinet ministers.
