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Give priority to single parents, not flexibility to polygamous men, says NGO

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Sisters in Islam criticises Terengganu’s decision to grant leniency to men with two wives when applying for affordable housing.

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Free Malaysia Today
Sisters in Islam says the decision to grant leniency to men with two wives when applying for affordable housing is worrying. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA:
With the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the Terengganu government must pay attention to vulnerable groups such as single mothers, said non-governmental organisation Sisters in Islam (SIS).

SIS criticised the state government’s decision to grant leniency to men with two wives and a monthly income of not more than RM2,500 when applying for the Rumah Mampu Milik (RMM) affordable housing programme.

In a statement, it questioned the fairness of the programme, saying RM2,500 was not enough for a man to support two wives and their children and pay for monthly bills and expenses.

The decision to grant leniency over the housing programme was worrying, it said, because it might encourage polygamy in men when they are unable to afford it.

Shariah law states that a husband should be able to support and provide for his wives equally, including material aspects such as houses.

SIS questioned the conditions of the housing scheme listed in the Terengganu e-Perumahan website, including applicants must never have owned a house before applying and may only apply once.

Through these conditions, it said, a husband can only provide one house for one wife, which was in conflict with the equal treatment of wives as stated by shariah law.

It called for amendments to Islamic family law provisions to require men to declare their assets and liabilities when applying to marry a second wife.

Their financial capabilities should be considered beforehand to ensure no woman or children were left without sufficient financial support, it said.

SIS said that from 2007 to 2012, it conducted a study in collaboration with researchers from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Sains Malaysia and Universiti Malaya, which found that most polygamous men were unable to financially support their wives and family.

Priority should be given to single parents instead, it said, adding that this group had difficulty applying for financial assistance from the government because they were required to provide a divorce certificate or a spouse’s death certificate.

It also said the government should be aware that not all single parents could provide proof of income slips since many could only afford to work part-time.

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