Of wedding expenses and shifts in higher education

AS I reined in my emotions during the recital of my daughter’s marriage solemnisation vows (lafaz akad ijab) at her wedding recently, it struck me that Malaysian families make few investments as consequential or as costly as weddings and higher education.

For many fathers, the folder of wedding invoices – pelamin decorations, kenduri catering, banquet hall deposits, etc. – is eerily familiar. It bears an uncanny resemblance to another from years ago containing PTPTN (National Higher Education Fund) loan statements and university fee receipts. Two rituals of passage, two financial precipices; the accounts may never balance, but when has a father ever hesitated at the edge?