He told the Dewan Rakyat that it was “medieval” to think that only fathers should be allowed to confer their Malaysian citizenship to children born abroad, adding that this discriminated against women and their innocent children.

“To punish women by saying their child cannot be a citizen simply because they married a foreigner and their child was born overseas, is a form of discrimination that should not exist in 2021.

“If the High Court has decided, the government does not need to appeal. I ask the government to have a heart for our women and the innocent children affected.

“I ask the government to retract its appeal. There’s no point. It’s needless to continue with this… unnecessary,” he said in debating the King’s speech today.

According to Nazri, children would have the right to decide on their citizenship once they become 18, and can then choose to be a citizen of the country they were born in or follow the citizenship of either of their parents.

Nazri added that continuing with the appeal would go against Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s Malaysian Family (Keluarga Malaysia) concept.

“I think the government has no excuses, unless it is part of their own medieval thinking.”

Earlier this month, High Court Judge Akhtar Tahir held that mothers were entitled to confer citizenship by operation of law in all processes, just like fathers. However, last week, Attorney-General Idrus Harun told FMT that a notice of appeal had been filed.

On a separate issue, Nazri called for equal allocations for all MPs, regardless of whether they were backbenchers or opposition.

He said it should be made a norm, because the funds ultimately help the people.

“There should be no discrimination against opposition MPs. This is because the Malaysians who elected them should not be punished as part of the principles of democracy that the country practises,” he added.