Azalina dares Pakatan to reintroduce clause preventing unilateral conversions

Asila Jalil Asila Jalil Updated 7 years ago · Published on 26 Jul 2018 5:47PM · 6 Comments

Former de facto law minister Azalina Othman Said says Pakatan Harapan MPs, while they were in the opposition, had frequently questioned the Barisan Nasional administration over the omission of Clause 88A in amendments to the Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act 1976. – The Malaysian Insight file pic, July 26, 2018.

FORMER de facto law minister Azalina Othman Said today challenged Putrajaya to reintroduce a clause to prevent the unilateral conversion of children by a Muslim-convert parent.

She was referring to Clause 88A of the Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act 1976 (LRA), which states that a child should remain in the religion he or she was raised in before one parent converted.

“I would like to say to (Pakatan Harapan MPs), now that you are in power, make the amendments regarding the clause.

“I think it is time for the government to be committed. I believe this will resolve many misunderstandings,” she said in the Dewan Rakyat during debates.

Azalina said PH lawmakers, while they were in the opposition, had frequently questioned the Barisan Nasional administration over the omission of the clause in amendments to LRA.

She cited as examples Puchong MP Gobind Singh Deo and Ipoh Barat’s M. Kulasegaran.

“It is time for the said change to be made, and this is my challenge to the government,” said the Penggerang MP.

Amendments to LRA were passed in August last year without Clause 88A, drawing flak from PH, the then opposition.

The clause was dropped from LRA because it was said to have contravened the federal constitution.

Activists and PH lawmakers had pushed for it following several high-profile cases of unilateral conversions that tore families apart.

One case involved kindergarten teacher M. Indira Gandhi, whose three children were converted to Islam by her ex-husband. The civil and shariah courts had issued conflicting custody orders for the children.

Earlier this year, the Federal Court ruled that the unilateral conversion of the three children were null and void.

The decision drew mixed reactions from lawyers and Muslim groups. They said the judgment could be used by the government to bring Clause 88A back into LRA.

Islamist party PAS also voiced its objection to efforts to reintroduce the clause, saying it would cause further tension and outrage among Muslims. – July 26, 2018.

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Comments

  • PH must have the political will to get rid of child marriages and unilateral conversion once and for all. These are the injustices that need to be tackle head on.

    Posted 7 years ago by Rupert Lum · Reply

    • Agree bro.

      Posted 7 years ago by Mali Muyung · Reply

  • Does PH need 2/3 majority to include Clause 88A? If not, just do it.

    Posted 7 years ago by Roger 5201 · Reply

  • Azalina !!! Hey why didin't you do it when you were is such pposition to do so. Why transfer the subject matter to PH. More like you are a shit stirrer. Why did you not ask PH also to legalise LGBT . I believe you will be fully supportive of that too. Do not take the issues to be a political agenda. Let PH reslove it in their own convenient strides. The woes of 1MDB scandals are a priority and when the miseries and ills are taken care off with the rakyat managing their lives better, it will be wiser to act accordingly to the rules of law in that manner.

    Posted 7 years ago by Lee Lee · Reply

  • Is it owing to tension among Muslims and outrage that prompted Tun M when he was Premier to ask why many of them were in trouble?..

    Posted 7 years ago by MELVILLE JAYATHISSA · Reply

  • The Government should go ahead and pass a law to ban unilateral child conversion. After all the Federal Court has ruled against unilateral child conversion.

    Posted 7 years ago by BL Ng · Reply