Zuraida Kamaruddin said there should be new laws to ensure that Muslim men who wish to be in polygamous marriages have the financial capability and capacity for fairness to marry more than one wife. — Picture by Yusof Mat Isa

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 22 — Pakatan Harapan’s women wing has voiced objection to Kedah’s proposals to make it easier to legalise Muslims’ polygamous marriages.

Zuraida Kamaruddin said the Opposition pact’s women unit that she heads does not reject Islamic laws which allow Muslims to be in polygamous marriages, but said the first wife’s consent is necessary to protect her and her children’s rights to receive financial support and have their welfare taken care of.

“In this issue, although the consent of the first wife is not mandatory, but the consent is an important pre-condition to ensure harmony in the family institution,” she was quoted saying by local daily Sinar Harian.

“The first wife should be called to the Shariah court for her testimony to be taken on the polygamous husband’s eligibility so that the concept of justice mentioned in the al-Quran’s surah An-Nisa verse three can be carried out,” she added.

Zuraida said there should be new laws to ensure that Muslim men who wish to be in polygamous marriages have the financial capability and capacity for fairness to marry more than one wife.

Commenting on Kedah’s plans, Zuraida reportedly said there were other methods that could be used to ensure polygamous marriages are registered without jeopardising the rights of women.

Local daily The Star had last week reported that the Kedah state government would let first wives know when their Muslim husbands take on another wife abroad, but said their consent will not be a requirement for the legalisation of the subsequent marriage.

Last week, Kedah Religion, Tourism, Heritage and Works Committee chairman, Datuk Mohd Rawi Abdul Hamid was reported saying that the state may impose a minimal fine of between RM300 to RM400 instead of the current RM3,000 sum for those who failed to register their cross-border marriages locally.

He had said the proposed reduced fine was not to encourage Muslims to cross the border to marry, but to ensure that they would immediately register their marriage here when they return and to ultimately secure the rights of the subsequent wives and children.

He said failure to register such cross-border marriages with the local Islamic authority would result in the children being denied citizenship and face problems accessing education and public healthcare, while the wives will not be entitled to claim for their rights when the husband dies or they divorce.

Local daily New Straits Times also reported Mohd Rawi as saying that children of these non-legalised cross-border marriages usually “suffer the most” as their parents cannot apply for birth certificates as the marriage is not recognised here without registration with the local Islamic authorities.

In April 2016, the Kedah state legislative assembly was told that 10,915 children with illegitimate status were recorded by the Kedah National Registration Department from 2010 to 2015, with the majority being born due to rape and improper marriage arrangement cases where Kedah couples cross the border to marry in Thailand.