Dewan Rakyat Passes Constitution Amendment Bill On Citizenship

KUALA LUMPUR, The Dewan Rakyat today passed the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2024 which, among other things, grants citizenship rights to children born abroad to Malaysian mothers. The bill was approved with more than a two-thirds majority, receiving support from 206 Members of Parliament (MPs) in a bloc vote during its second and third readings. Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul said one MP did not support the bill, 14 were absent and one did not vote due to suspension. He said the bloc voting was conducted in accordance with Article 159 of the Federal Constitution, which stipulates that amendments to the Constitution at the second and third readings require no less than a two-thirds majority of the total number of MPs. Under the existing law, children born outside the Federation could only acquire Malaysian citizenship by operation of law if the father is a citizen. Source: BERNAMA News Agency