THE National Registration Department (NRD) said the home minister could register non-Muslim marriages in accordance with the Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act 1976 (Act 164).

The NRD in a statement today said it was the agency responsible for registering civil marriages and recording information on non-Muslim marriages and divorces.

“Based on Act 164, the home minister is the one responsible for the registration of civil marriages, which allows him to register non-Muslim marriages.

“The NRD director-general and deputy director-general, Marriage and Divorce Division director, state NRD directors, and officers and staff of the division also have the authority (to register non-Muslim marriages),” it said.

The statement came after a video – which went viral – showed Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail registering the marriage of a non-Muslim couple at the Putrajaya NRD office.

The department said marriage registrations were based on civil law under Act 164, and it did not involve or resemble, nor was it influenced, by religious or cultural rituals.

It said the registrar’s pledge was contained in section 23 of the act, which explained the nature of a civil marriage and the expression of agreement and willingness of a couple to be in the marriage without coercion from any party.

The NRD called on the public to stop spreading false information and maintain public order. – Bernama, October 25, 2023.