PETALING JAYA: Children born to Malaysian Malays and their foreign Muslim spouses may be registered according to either parent’s ancestry, but marriage to a Malay citizen does not automatically confer Malay ancestry or Bumiputera status on the foreign spouse.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said parents of children born from legally recognised marriages between Malaysian Malays and foreign Muslims could choose whether to register their child’s ethnicity according to the mother’s or father’s ancestry.
“If a child is born from a marriage legally recognised under Malaysian law between a foreign Muslim national and a Malaysian of Malay descent, the mother or father may choose whether the child is registered according to either parent’s ancestry, whether Malay or that of the foreign national,” he said in a written parliamentary reply on Monday.
However, Saifuddin clarified that foreign Muslims who marry Malaysian Malays do not automatically become ethnically Malay, as their ancestry remains unchanged.
“Marriage between a foreign Muslim national and a Malaysian of Malay descent does not change the foreign national’s ancestry to Malay.
“Their ancestry remains unchanged, and the National Registration Department (NRD) does not determine or alter the ancestry of foreign nationals,” he said.
Saifuddin also stressed that determining Bumiputera status and eligibility for the associated rights or privileges falls outside the NRD’s jurisdiction.
He said such eligibility was governed by the relevant laws, policies and conditions set by the respective government agencies or authorities.
He was responding to Labis MP Pang Hok Liong, who asked whether foreign Muslims married to Malaysian Malays could be recognised as Bumiputera and enjoy the rights and privileges accorded to the community, as well as the conditions governing such recognition.