Children born to local Malay Muslims and foreign spouses can be registered as Malays or according to the foreign parent’s ancestry, the Dewan Rakyat was told.
Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said this in a written parliamentary reply, clarifying the registration options available for children of such marriages.
He was responding to Pang Hok Liong (PH-Labis), who asked whether foreigners married to Malay Muslims could be considered Bumiputeras and enjoy the associated rights and privileges.
Saifuddin stressed that marrying a Malay Muslim would not automatically make the foreign spouse a Malay.
He also explained that the National Registration Department (NRD) had no authority to determine whether a person qualified as a Bumiputera or was entitled to the rights and privileges provided under the Federal Constitution.
Under the Constitution, a Malay is defined as someone who professes Islam, habitually speaks the Malay language, conforms to Malay customs and meets the relevant constitutional criteria concerning birth or residence in the Federation before Merdeka Day.
