Dr Ahmad Zahid: Accept decision to amend Marriage and Divorce Act

PUTRAJAYA: The decision to amend the Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act 1976 is in the interest of the nation and all groups are urged to accept it, said Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

The Deputy Prime Minister said it has been the “Malaysian practice” to respect all religions and the rights of all races.

“When we do things or make decisions, our target is that the people benefit from it. But the interest of the nation supersedes other interests.

“When the Government decided to amend the Act, it was because we were looking at the interest of the country as a whole,” he said after visiting the International Modern Arabic School at Precinct 14 here yesterday.

Dr Ahmad Zahid was commenting on a call by Perak Mufti Tan Sri Harussani Zakaria to postpone the tabling of the proposed amendment to the Act, which he claimed was against the Federal Constitution and Islamic laws, and that it was “ridiculing” the religion.

Harussani was quoted as saying that the amendment would also go against a fatwa made in 2009, which stated that if either mother or father converted to Islam, the religious status of their underage children would automatically be Islam.

He said the proposed amendment to Section 88A, whereby the change in the religious status of a child could only be done when the child turns 18, and needs the consent of both parents, was “not only against but also ridiculing and disrespecting the fatwa”.

In a statement, PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang called for a special committee to review the Bill, saying that it would seriously affect the freedom of Muslims to practise their religion and prevent them from preserving their faith.

The committee, he said, should comprise both Muslims and non-Muslims.

Dr Ahmad Zahid said he had read the statement by the Perak mufti and respected his views on the issue.

“I will discuss with (Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said on this as she is responsible for tabling the amendments.

“But we are looking at the interest of the country and it has to come first before other interests,” he said.

In August last year, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced legal reforms to the Act as the Cabinet sought to resolve inter-faith child custody conflicts between Muslim and non-Muslim parents.

Among others, the reforms will see divorce matters involving civil marriages settled in a civil court even if one of the spouses converts to Islam, to ensure that any party making claims to child custody and financial support is protected.

In December, Azalina said the amendment, once passed, would prevail over any state law, including Perlis’ newly-amended Adminis-tra­tion of the Religion of Islam Enactment 2006 which allows one parent to convert a child to Islam.

Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia was also reported as saying that non-lawmakers should not meddle in Parliament affairs.

The Government, he said, would have given careful consideration and consulted legal and religious experts before tabling the Bill, adding that once this was included in the Order Paper, outsiders should no longer try to intervene.