Letters

Resolving citizenship dilemma

LETTERS: I hope the new government will give equal attention to women and women's rights.

Malaysian mothers want to be able to automatically pass their citizenship to their children born abroad. All arguments link the matter to Article 14(1)(b) of the Constitution that gives fathers the right to pass their citizenship to their children automatically, but omits mention of mothers.

So let's start with this question — does the biological mother have the responsibility to bring up the child she gave birth to with care and love? Yes and no.

In the case of a surrogate mother, she only carries the child on behalf of someone who wants the child. The surrogate mother will not have a bond with the child. This is not the case with biological mothers who will have a bond with her child for life.

So why are mothers who have a natural right to care for their child denied the legal right to pass on their citizenship?

The head of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Women, Children and Social Development, Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, had said: "I don't understand this. Do the women in the country have more flaws than the men?"

I am not sure what she meant by "flaws". I believe the flaw is in the use of the word "father" in the Constitution when a more appropriate word like "parent" could have been used.

The Constitution, like a policy or a book, is a written document produced by refined and learned minds for a purpose. But unfortunately, like any communication, written or oral, it can have flaws.

With the Constitution, just like policies, we have to understand it through the spirit with which it was written and the purpose it aimed to serve. It was not intended to cause agony and pain for the people. As the wish was for administration and governance, it has to be lawful and true to conscience.

Women deserve to be treated fairly, with respect and dignity.

If this is merely an issue of weakness in the Constitution, all it needs is an amendment. But will our elected representatives make the move?

MENA JEYARAM

Subang Jaya, Selangor


The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times

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