KOTA BHARU, May 29 — The Home Affairs Ministry (KDN) settled 2,373 citizenship status application cases under Article 15(2) of the Federal Constitution on May 24, involving applications received at the National Registration Department's (JPN) offices throughout Malaysia.
JPN director-general Badrul Hisham Alias said the matter was to decide on the applications for citizenship of a child born abroad to a citizen mother.
"All these approvals were made by the Home Affairs Minister, in line with the Madani government's promise.
"Most of the cases of late birth registration of children in the border states, which are Kedah, Kelantan, Perlis, and Perak, are caused by 'irregular marriages' in which the marriages abroad were not re-registered in Malaysia," he said.
Badrul was speaking to the press after the Menyemai Kasih Rakyat programme to present identification documents to disabled person Afiq Aiman Mohd Abdullah, 22, in Kampung Chenok, Batu 8, Kadok, today. Also present was state JPN director Asrehan Ab Razak.
He said irregular and unregistered marriages are among the main causes of most children born without identity documents.
"The practice of second marriages abroad without permission and couples not re-registering their marriage status in the country causes difficulty in registering children as citizens.
"We recommend any couple who married abroad to reregister their marriage because it has a big impact on the citizenship status of the child later on," Badrul said.
— Bernama
