KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 22 — Attorney General Tan Sri Idrus Harun has reportedly stressed that mothers can still apply to get citizenship for their children born overseas to non-Malaysian spouses.

The Star reported Idrus as acknowledging, however, that the application process could take longer than usual.

"This process and all matters involving this issue are being looked into by the Home Ministry,” he was quoted as saying during the Keluarga Malaysia Symposium at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre yesterday.

Idrus said that another solution could be to amend the Federal Constitution to allow for the children in question to automatically receive citizenship.

Earlier this month, the Court of Appeal, in a majority decision, ruled that overseas-born children of Malaysian mothers cannot automatically be Malaysian citizens — reversing an earlier ruling by the High Court.

Datuk S. Nantha Balan was the only judge on the three-judge panel at the Court of Appeal who disagreed, pointing out that Malaysia’s citizenship laws discriminated against Malaysian women by not allowing them to pass on citizenship to their children born abroad.