The law and institutional reform minister said the current government, made up of political parties which have consistently championed the need for reform, has made a promising start to its reform programme.
Speaking on BFM’s The Breakfast Grille, Azalina questioned whether Perikatan Nasional (PN) would be talking about the same changes the unity government was working on if it came to power.
“They talk about citizenship for children born abroad to Malaysian women. Well, how far did they bring this citizenship amendment?”
Last August, the Court of Appeal ruled that children born overseas to Malaysian women were not entitled to automatic citizenship as the Federal Constitution only provided for citizenship through fathers.
In February, the Cabinet agreed to amend the Federal Constitution to grant automatic citizenship to these children. The amendment is slated for tabling during the current Dewan Rakyat sitting.
Azalina said many other laws require reform, but lamented that the Dewan Rakyat only convenes for less than 100 days a year. The current sitting is expected to spend most of its time debating Budget 2023.
“There are so many things to reform. The rakyat has voted for this government to run the country for five years, so the rakyat must support this government in delivering changes.”
Nonetheless, she said her top priorities during the current sitting are to abolish the mandatory death sentence and push through necessary amendments to the Sexual Offences Against Children Act.
Women in politics
Meanwhile, Azalina suggested that political parties put in place a training and mentoring system to encourage more women to participate in politics, instead of simply ensuring that the 30% quota of female candidates in federal and state polls is met.
Political parties would want to field winnable candidates in an election. It would serve no purpose to field a woman candidate simply for the sake of it, she said.
“I can’t really blame the political parties. It’s the voters that they’re responding to. Like when you sell a product, you need to see the needs and value system of consumers.
“It’s not about a 30% quota, but coming up with the best person for the job.”