“My mum wasn’t the kind of person to want to send her children away, she never wanted that. She had no choice but to send her children away because we don’t have [Malaysian] citizenship.” – Niba, Sabeena’s youngest overseas-born daughter.
On 6 June 2022, Family Frontiers in collaboration with Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (ABIM) organised a Majlis Tahlil & Yasin reading in remembrance of Sabeena binti Syed Jafer, a Malaysian mother impacted by Malaysia's gender-discriminatory citizenship laws. The event took place on 6 June 2022, 5 PM at Taman Jaya Park, Petaling Jaya.
Many took time off their busy schedules to honour her strength while navigating Malaysia’s discriminatory citizenship laws throughout her life, learning about how much it mattered to her that her children were Malaysian citizens up until her last breath.
“For 13 years when we were fighting, there was nobody. But, last year, when we heard that mothers have won the [Suriani Kempe] case, my mum was so happy. She came to me, and we hugged each other and cried because this was the hope that we had been waiting for, for so long. Even when there was a government appeal… she always told me to keep fighting, no matter what, and never give up. And that’s why I am here today. …I know that I am not going to lose hope and I am going to fight for her and for all the mothers that are here.” said Niba, while her father stood by her side.
Malaysian mothers, who were given the space to share their lived realities, burst into tears as they braced themselves to admit that Sabeena’s sudden passing, without any signs, is the exact fear that they have in their hearts; the root cause of their stress and anxiety for their overseas-born children’s future.
As of June 2022, only six plaintiffs in the Suriani Kempe case have received their overseas-born children’s citizenship documents. The other Malaysian mothers in similar circumstances have yet to receive theirs. The fight for Malaysian women’s gender-equal citizenship rights does not end until all women are recognised as equal citizens in their citizenship rights. Here’s what you can do to continue supporting the campaign:
- Donate to Family Frontiers at bit.ly/DonateToFF;
- Join the Twitter Storm at bit.ly/manadokumenkami; and
- Share this Petition at bit.ly/FFpetition.
As the decision for the Government’s appeal against the landmark High Court decision in Suriani Kempe & Ors v Government of Malaysia & Ors (to be announced on 22 June) draws near, we are grateful that you are able to continue to stand in solidarity with Malaysian mothers and their overseas-born children.
Your support and financial contribution gives Malaysian mothers across the nation and all over the world the power to fight against gender-discriminatory citizenship laws, so that no mother will have to struggle as Sabeena did, as they did.
If you wish to learn more about Malaysia’s unequal citizenship laws, the Saya Juga Anak Malaysia Microsite offers a plethora of information and lived realities by Malaysian mothers everywhere who endured similar fates.