KUALA LUMPUR: The Home Ministry (KDN) and Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) have introduced a new Malay language proficiency test module to assess the national language skills of individuals applying for Malaysian citizenship.
Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the initiative aligns with additional requirements introduced in the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2024.
“Some have questioned why language proficiency is now a requirement. The Federal Constitution recognises Malay as the official language, so it is reasonable to include this as an additional criterion.
“This approach is not unique to Malaysia, other countries such as Canada, the United States, Germany and France also require language proficiency for citizenship applications,” he said during the winding-up session of the Bill in the Dewan Negara today.
The bill, among others, seeks to revise Clause (1) of Article 15 of the Federal Constitution regarding citizenship by registration (for spouses and children of citizens). It introduces a provision requiring applicants to demonstrate sufficient knowledge of the Malay language.
The bill was passed with the support of 50 senate members through a bloc vote, following debates by 33 senators. Five members were absent.
On the government’s decision not to adopt a retroactive approach to the amendments, Saifuddin Nasution said KDN had studied best practices from several countries, including Singapore, before finalising its decision.
“After analysing and comparing approaches, we concluded that a forward-looking implementation is the most appropriate for our context.
A retroactive approach raises questions such as how far back we should go and for how many generations. These factors must be carefully considered. However, this decision does not affect the eligibility of children born to Malaysian mothers before the enactment of this law to obtain citizenship,” he said.
The Dewan Negara session will resume tomorrow.