Amendments to Act will promote justice and ease pain

THE Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) welcomes the tabling of the proposed amendments to the Law Reform (Marriage And Divorce) Act 1976 as reported in “Changes to Act tabled” (The Star, Nov 22).

We understand that the Bill, called “Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) (Amendment) 2016”, provides for the following under section 88A:

(i) both parties in a civil marriage must agree for the conversion of a minor, and

(ii) that the child will remain in the religion of the parents at the time of the marriage until the child is 18 years old when he may choose his religion.

The above amendments are in line with the Cabinet decision made in April 2009. The council had been prodding the Cabinet for the last seven years to disallow unilateral conversion of minors when one party to a civil marriage converts to Islam and now we are glad there is positive action.

The amendments are necessary and were long overdue.

They will promote justice and help to arrest the pain created when one spouse to marriage converts to Islam and then converts a minor of the marriage to Islam without consulting the other spouse, thus creating heartbreak for the non-converting spouse, as clearly seen in the cases of M. Indira Ghandi and S. Deepa.

JAGIR SINGH

Vice-president, MCCBCHST

Joint chairman, Legal Panel MCCBCHST