Compiled by C. ARUNO and FAZLEENA AZIZ
THE polygamy laws in Kelantan, said to be more relaxed than in other states, have elicited interest and inquiries from many outsiders – mostly from men, reported Harian Metro.
Bachok district religious officer Suratemi Mat Yusoff said many Kelantan residents have also been asking about these laws.
“Many were asking about it even though they don’t have permission to marry from the bride’s wali (guardian),” he said.
However, Suratemi stressed that despite the more relaxed polygamy laws in the state, those from outside of Kelantan will not be able to just marry on a whim.
They will have to get permission from the syariah court in their own state to be eligible.
“With the permission letter, they can come to Kelantan for the nikah process because the courts in this state do not have any jurisdiction over those from the outside,” he said.
He added that there must be a guardian present to ensure that the nikah is valid in Islam.
“You cannot assume that it is easy. Some even say a guardian is not needed – this is not true because we must not take the conditions of nikah lightly.
“At the same time, for those in Kelantan who contacted me about polygamy, many did not want to disclose the marriage to their first wives.
“This decision on the consent of the first wife is at the discretion of the court,” he said.
> Vegetables sold in villages – such as pucuk paku, maman, bamboo shoots, young jackfruit and ulam – which used to be sold for RM2 per bunch, have seen their prices go up in Jerantut, Pahang.
Housewife Khairiah Mat Esa, 48, said prices are between RM3 and RM5 per bunch now.
“I noticed an increase since the middle of last year. It is difficult to get a bunch at RM2, and to top it off, the quantity has also dropped. Everything now is RM3 or RM5,” she told Berita Harian while shopping at Pekan Sehari Jerantut recently.
A survey revealed that vegetables such as kerdas and jering were also being sold for RM5, while the pipit eggplant and asam eggplant were being sold for RM3 per plate.
Other vegetables such as pennywort, tapioca leaves, ulam putat, ulam raja and maman were going for RM3 per bunch.
A vegetable seller who did not want to be named, said the increase is due to the shortage in supply and farmers selling at a higher price.
“The suppliers from the villages are also saying that it is difficult to give more because a lot of the farms have been flooded,” he said.
> Actor Datuk Fizz Fairuz, 36, said it was not easy for husbands to convince their wives of their loyalty when they had acting roles with other women.
He said it was important for husbands to be transparent to avoid any misunderstanding in a marriage, Utusan Malaysia reported.
“Sometimes we are friends and exchange phone numbers. But as husbands, we have to set boundaries. Fights will happen when our partners start thinking about things that didn’t happen,” he said.
Fizz married Almy Nadia in 2014, and the couple have five children.
The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.
