As an adult, I’ve always valued the man’s ability to choose as well as the ideas & principles revolving around equality between the sexes. Imagine my shock and even disappointment at the blatant gender discrimination practised by my own government back at home.
An excerpt from the letter I wrote to the newspaper(s):
In today, the 21st century, it is widely accepted that women have equal opportunities and rights as men – the opportunity to participate in the workforce, political and social arena and basically be included in what used to be deemed as “solely for men”. So what was I to think when I was told that my child cannot be a citizen because I’m a woman but if I was a man, it wouldn’t be an issue?
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Or is the Government trying to solidify the Asian (specifically Chinese) notion that when a woman marries, she “belongs” to her husband and not her own family anymore? That she is just an “object”? That she would embrace her husband’s new home without any qualms and forget all about her own home?
Is that how we women are thought of in reality – socially and politically? Do we really forget about our home country even though we’ve married foreign men and gone overseas? Perhaps this is just the opinions of shallow-minded people but it should NOT be taken as a reflection of reality.
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Much has been said about the things that has been done for the women of this country – equal opportunities, equal rights – yet in its most basic right – citizenship as promised by the constitution – we women of Malaysia have lost it.
As a mum-to-be, I’m angry that my child will not have the ability to choose for him/herself what nationality they’d want to hold. If it was a political reason such as one cannot have dual citizenship, then it’s fine. But to lose a choice because I am not a man? Preposterous, really!
More on the letter here.
