28-May-21 14:00

Jasmine Wong, Lawyer | Larissa Ann Louis, Lawyer

Law & Behold - now a monthly segment - continues to arm Malaysians with constitutional literacy, and is done in collaboration with The Malaysian Bar and the University of Malaya's Faculty of Law. This month, we discuss two cases in the courts that concern citizenship in Malaysia, how the Federal Constitution is being interpreted in these cases. First, the case involving a 10-year-old boy, who was born to a Malaysian father and a Filipino mother, and the landmark decision on his citizenship appeal in the Federal Court. Following that, we look at the case involving Family Frontiers and six mothers, who have filed a suit to seek a declaration that Malaysian women married to foreigners have the right under the Federal Constitution for their overseas-born children to be Malaysian citizens. Finally, we take a brief look at the government's stand on how we're going to vaccinate stateless individuals in Malaysia, to protect us all from COVID-19.