KL revises 'gender-biased' immigration rules
KL revises 'gender-biased' immigration rules
KUALA LUMPUR (Agencies): Foreign husbands of Malaysians will
be granted permanent resident status as part of the government's
move to outlaw sexual discrimination, local media reported on
Sunday.
"I have received many complaints from Malaysian women who
questioned why they were treated differently from Malaysian men
married to foreigners," Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi was
quoted as saying by the official Bernama news agency on Saturday.
"This is very unfair...therefore I would like to announce that
there are no longer such differences," he said when launching the
Women's Day celebration in the Malaysian capital.
The directive to make the change has been given to the
immigration department by the powerful Home Ministry, which is
headed by Abdullah.
Immigration officials could not be reached for comment.
Bernama also gave no further details.
Malaysian newspapers reported Malaysian women have often
complained that immigration officials turned down their spouses
request by to extend their stay in Malaysia.
The husbands normally live in the country using social passes
which need to be renewed every year and take a long time to
process.
The New Sunday Times said Minister of Women's Affairs and
Family Development, Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, had proposed that
foreign husbands of Malaysians be granted permanent resident
status after three years.
It also quoted Badawi as saying that laws which discriminate
against women would also be amended. The paper gave no further
details.
Earlier in August, Malaysia's parliament approved a
constitutional amendment to outlaw sexual discrimination, a move
women's groups say will lead to more equality in the mostly-
Muslim Southeast Asian nation.
The amendment, which was passed unanimously in Parliament,
adds the word "sex" to a list that prohibits discrimination on
grounds of religion, race, descent and place of birth.
The amendment had been pushed by activist groups, who
challenged the new women's affairs ministry to demonstrate that
it was more than just a sop to women voters.
Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, whose government is facing
the toughest opposition yet from a conservative Islamic party,
announced the formation of the ministry in January.
Officials say that women's support has become crucial after
many Malay Muslims - Malaysia's largest ethnic group - deserted
Mahathir's United Malays National Organization in a 1999 general
election and voted for a fundamentalist opposition Islamic party.
The ruling party has since attacked the fundamentalists for
planning to introduce an Islamic state, and tried to broaden its
appeal to women fearful of being made subordinate under religion-
based laws.
The constitution already prohibits discrimination based on
race, religion, ethnicity and nationality.
Malays and other Muslims make up around two-thirds of the
country's 23 million people, ethnic Chinese, Indians and tribal
groups the remaining third.