KOTA KINABALU: The backlog of applications for citizenship of children from Malaysian mothers living overseas must be sped up, in line with the Kuala Lumpur High Court ruling that such children are eligible for citizenship.

       Tawau MP Datuk Christina Liew said that the Home Ministry should clear the backlog of applications for children's citizenship submitted over the years by Malaysian mothers.

       "With the High Court ruling, the children concerned should now be automatically conferred Malaysian citizenship by operation of law," said Liew, who is also the former deputy chief minister.

       Giving an example of a particular case from Sabah, she said that the Malaysian mother of the child (born overseas) had informed her that she (mother) submitted her application twice in five years since 2016, but was not entertained.

       "According to the mother, her daughter, being a non-citizen, could not enjoy the same privileges as Malaysian students in the school where she was studying," Liew said in a statement on Saturday (Sept 11).

       She described the decision by the Kuala Lumpur High Court that children born overseas to Malaysian mothers with foreign spouses were eligible for Malaysian citizenship as a major legal victory for women.

       She said that Malaysian women have suffered gender discrimination for decades, as their children were denied citizenship.

       "We laud this court decision, which is long overdue, as justice has now been served. It is a huge relief for Malaysian mothers whose children (born abroad) are affected in terms of access to education and healthcare.

       "For Malaysian women, it is a triumph for gender equality," she said.

       Liew said that the government must support and uphold this principle of gender non-discrimination in granting automatic citizenship to children born to Malaysian mothers abroad.