The Malaysian Insight

THIS was supposed to be a special year for couples to tie the knot, with it being a leap year and with the rare phenomenon of having spring celebrations twice in the Chinese calendar, until it was disrupted by Covid-19.

The pandemic has scuttled many wedding plans, with many giving up on “good dates” because of restrictions following the movement-control orders and then the strict standard operating procedure (SOP) imposed by the government.

Even though the government eased movement restrictions earlier this month, couples looking to tie the knot have no way of reorganising their weddings as these matters take up to two or three months.

The Malaysian Insight learnt that the waiting list is now long, with many couples trying hard to find registrars to accept and affirm their marriage.

The Klang Hokkien Association marriage registration department said it has stopped accepting new registrations and couples need to go elsewhere to register their marriage.

An officer from the department, Ng Chim Poh, said there are 170 registrations waiting to be processed.

“They (couples) were initially planning to be registered on October 10, but then the conditional movement-control order (CMCO) was reimposed (on October 8) and they were delayed until now,” Ng said.

Registration services have since resumed, but under the SOP, registration centres are limited to five couples per day and the association has to prioritise registrations submitted earlier.

“On average we can only process about 15 registrations a week. For the 170 applications we already received, we estimate that we need about two months to process them all.

“But if there are any new couples applying with special reasons, we will give them priority,” he said.

Ng also said the National Registration Department will only release new marriage registration forms after the five submissions for a day have been processed.

Meanwhile, he said other marriage registration associations for other religions are also facing similar backlogs because of the SOP.

Shah Alam Buddhist Society executive secretary Chum Let Onn said the organisation only resumed registration this month and so far has a backlog of nearly 50.

“We need to follow the SOP. Only after a couple have completed their registration and have left the premises, can the next couple enter.

“Plus, the Buddhist society is currently having some construction work, so registrations are limited to Sundays.

“The registrations can’t be processed quickly due to the limit on the number of people and the year is already ending. So, many couples have postponed their marriage to next year,” he said.

Chum said it is likely that the organisation can only prioritise new registrations after the Chinese New Year, and they are simply unable to accept new submissions until then.

“For those who are not looking to get married immediately, we will accept. But if time is crucial or if they want to nail it down on an auspicious date, or any other reasons, then we will ask them to have their registration elsewhere,” he said.

In Kuala Lumpur, the Thean Hou Temple has long been a popular spot for couples to register their marriage. Thean Hou Temple marriage registration department officer Chow Soo Sin said it has accumulated hundreds of registrations since the MCO began on March 18, peaking in May at around 500 to 600 submissions.

“When restrictions were eased, we sped up processing the applications. Now that it is the end of the year, we have fewer than 100 left,” she said.

Chow believed it is possible to speed up the process further now that some movement restrictions have been lifted.

“Unless the couple are overseas, such as in Singapore, and cannot come back to process their registration, then those are all postponed to next year,” she said.

Under the SOP, only six people are allowed to attend the registration process in Thean Hou Temple, the couple and their parents.

“Before the registration, we’ll ensure they are wearing masks, take their temperature and use sanitisers. Even after the process is completed, we’ll remind them to avoid crowded places where physical distancing is not possible,” she said.

Chow said Kuala Lumpur is now a Covid-19 red zone and, as such, Thean Hou Temple has no plans to conduct any mass registrations.

Due to the SOP on marriage registration and the new normal, Negri Sembilan’s Broga Sak Dato temple registrar of marriages Tan Jack Wei said they are now opening at 8.30am instead of the usual 10am.

This is because the premises are disinfected after every registration and this needs time.

“We only process 10 a day, so we have to extend our opening time. For couples who do not mind registering later in the day, we will schedule them for the afternoon or evening,” he said.

Tan said most of their backlog has been resolved, with a remaining few to be completed over the Christmas festivities. – December 23, 2020.