KOTA KINABALU, Oct 4 — Government-leaning Sabahan MPs may choose not to support the controversial citizenship amendment bills at the upcoming Dewan Rakyat sitting later this month.

Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Jeffrey Kitingan said the state Cabinet had discussed the matter and wanted Sabah to be exempted from the amendments to protect the state's interests.

"These amendments to the Federal Constitution are a double-edged sword. On one hand, it may be good, but on the other hand, it may not be good for us,” he said when speaking to reporters today.

"As far as Sabah is concerned, we do not want it to have a negative impact on our people, particularly our rural population, who are sometimes rendered stateless themselves due to a lack of access,” he said.

He added that Sabah was also concerned about the amendments because they could open doors for illegal immigrants.

"At the moment, we will say if you want to go through with this amendment, let it apply only in Semenanjung. That is our stand,” he said.

Most Sabahan MPs have yet to make their stance on the matter known.

Last week, 28 organisations and 38 activists urged all MPs from Sabah to vote against the proposed amendments to citizenship laws, which they said would further restrict conditions for displaced natives to obtain citizenship and worsen the stateless population.

Among the amendments is a proposal to remove automatic citizenship for children born to Malaysian permanent residents, which could worsen the situation for stateless people in Sabah and hinder their access to education, health services, and employment.

Rural communities and children of mixed parentage are particularly vulnerable to the amendments.

The organisations and activists said the government had not sought their views despite their extensive knowledge and experience dealing directly with people and families who would be negatively affected by the amendments.

The Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2024, tabled for its first reading in the Dewan Rakyat on March 25, would also grant overseas-born children of Malaysian women citizenship and lower the age limit to apply for citizenship by registration from 21 to 18.

A second reading is expected in this month's Parliament sitting.

In July, Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said there were still some matters that needed to be refined despite receiving positive feedback from the Conference of Rulers.