Purpose of DNA test for citizenship

KUALA LUMPUR: The DNA test reports for stateless children can only be used as a supporting document to apply for Malaysian citizenship but is not a mandatory document to determine approval, Deputy Home Minister Datuk Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar told the Dewan Rakyat on Wednesday.
He said the question of using a DNA report was raised due to the problems of children born of a Malaysian man and a foreign (non-citizen) woman in Malaysia but who do not have their marriage registered under Malaysian law.
Wan Junaidi said the government will not grant automatic citizenship to the children born in Malaysia if the parents' marriage are not registered under Malaysian law and, most importantly, if the mother of the child is not a Malaysian citizen.
"The children's citizenship will be based on the mothers' citizenship," he said.
Similarly, children with a Malaysian mother will automatically obtain Malaysian citizenship even if they are not born in Malaysia, father is a non-citizen and/or the parents' marriage is not registered under Malaysian law.
Wan Junaidi said this is stated under Part 3 of the Federal Constitution, where the citizenship award is the highest award the government can grant anyone.
"The burden of getting citizenship approval is on the applicants.
"Thus the DNA test report can be a supporting document for citizenship application if there is any doubt on the application but it is not a mandatory document," Wan Junaidi said.
He was responding to Anthony Loke (DAP-Seremban) who asked whether the government would consider taking DNA reports as supporting evidence for citizen-ship application for stateless children whose father is a Malaysian citizen.