KUCHING: The landmark decision by the Kuala Lumpur High Court that Malaysian mothers have the right to confer citizenship on their children born overseas will help improve these children's wellbeing and future, says a Sarawak minister.

       Welcoming the ruling, state Welfare, Community Well-being, Women, Family and Childhood Development Minister Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah (pic) said it would resolve many problems faced by the children as they waited for their citizenship to be approved.

       "I can feel the bitterness and stress of the affected mothers and children in the long time it takes to obtain citizenship.

       "During the waiting period, the children face many difficulties, such as getting access to education and government health facilities enjoyed by Malaysian children.

       "If they can’t access education and health facilities, they will have to pay high fees charged to non-Malaysians," she said in a statement Friday (Sept 10).

       Fatimah said this would affect the children's well-being and their future due to missed opportunities.

       "How heartbreaking it is for the Malaysian mothers to see their children being deprived of opportunities and facilities enjoyed by other Malaysian children," she added.

       On Thursday (Sept 9), the Kuala Lumpur High Court ruled that Malaysian women married to foreign spouses had the same right as Malaysian men with foreign wives to confer Malaysian citizenship by operation of law on their overseas-born children.

       Judge Akhtar Tahir reached the verdict after a harmonious reading of several Articles in the Federal Constitution with Part II of the Second Schedule of the Constitution, deciding that this prohibited discrimination based on gender in conferring citizenship.

       The court ruling came in allowing a lawsuit by rights group Family Frontiers and six Malaysian mothers married to foreigners for their overseas-born children to have the right to become Malaysian citizens.