The Malaysian Insight

MALAYS are generally supportive of the government raising the minimum marriageable age to 18, a survey by pollster Ilham Centre and think-tank Penang Institute has found.

This was observed among respondents in a “post-transition Malay” survey conducted from October 21 to November 21 last year. The findings were released last night.

The respondents, comprising 125 men and women, including youth from across Malaysia, were invited by researchers to share their views in focus-group discussions on post-14th general election political developments.

Ilham Centre research head and fellow Dr Mohd Yusri Ibrahim said all the participants agreed that children under 18 are too young to marry, and should focus on their education instead.

“They said those under 18 should focus on their education and at least finish school before thinking about getting married. They expressed concern that child marriage would lead to divorce.

“They also said times have changed, and it is unlike before, when marrying at a young age was normal.”

He added that Sabah and Sarawak participants said teenagers under 18 should be allowed to wed, taking into account the cultures of communities living in the interior.

“But when we asked if they would allow their under-18 daughters to marry, they said ‘Absolutely not’.”

Child marriage is one of the major issues that Pakatan Harapan has had to deal with since winning GE14.

There was public uproar when the media reported on a 41-year-old Kelantanese man who took on an 11-year-old Thai as his third wife. In another case in Kelantan, a 15-year-old girl got married to a man almost 30 years her senior.

Last November, Deputy Prime Minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail told Parliament that the government would amend the Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act 1976 and Islamic Family Law (Federal Territory) Act 1984, so as to tighten child marriage requirements to protect minors.

Two months prior, Selangor became the first state to raise the minimum marriageable age for Muslims to 18. Penang plans to table a similar amendment at the state legislative assembly this year.

On the public caning of two lesbians by the Terengganu shariah court, the focus-group participants said they supported the move.

Yusri said the participants believed that the punishment was appropriate as the duo had admitted guilt, and would serve as a deterrent.

“Almost all of them agreed with the public caning. A few from the central region said it would have been better if the punishment was conducted in private to prevent humiliating the women.”

On khalwat (close proximity) cases, the participants disagreed that raids by religious authorities be banned, he said.

“But, they agreed that it would be appropriate to come up with a standard operating procedure to prevent the invading of one’s private space and causing humiliation.”

The group disagreed with popular Perlis Mufti Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin’s call for the government to focus on fighting sins affecting the community instead of “private sins”.

“To the participants, there is no issue of private or public sins. The government has to curb all sinful acts. They said there is no difference between the two types of sins.

“Almost all the participants viewed it that way, believing that the government must intervene and uphold (Islamic) law to educate the people,” said Yusri. – January 5, 2019.