IPOH: The Perak government plans to amend Section 23 of the Islamic Family Enactment (Perak) 2004 to make it easier for Muslim men to enter into polygamy.
State executive councillor-in-charge Asmuni Awi said that the existing enactment makes it difficult for syariah courts to grant married men the right to take on another wife if the first wife fails to appear in court to express her consent.
“Some (first) wives are amenable to their husbands becoming polygamous, but they (shy away from) appearing in court.
“So the amendments will give the court the discretion to decide on whether (the first wife needs to be consulted in person) when arriving at a decision (on granting a man the right to take on another wife),” Asmuni told reporters after launching the Perak Islamic Religious Council’s matchmaking website cintasakinahjaipk.perak.my and the ‘Module on Understanding Polygamy in Perak’ here, on Tuesday.