KUCHING: The organisation of the Semarak Ummah Wedding Ceremony programme will be expanded more widely to increase the birth rate and help achieve the target of 46 million people in the country by the year 2071.
Women, Family, and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri, stated that this is one of the steps taken to increase childbirth numbers due to the sudden decline in the country's fertility rate over the past 50 years.
She mentioned that through this programme, the government finances the expenses of wedding ceremonies and feasts for selected couples, thereby easing their burden to start a new life.
"The ministry promotes this programme (Semarak Ummah Ceremony) by organising mass wedding ceremonies with the aim of helping to increase the birth rate because we see a significant decline in fertility rates in Malaysia.
"The fertility rate of the population in Malaysia has decreased dramatically, from 6.7 children per woman in 1957 to 4.0 children per woman in 1980; 3.0 children per woman in 2000; 2.1 children per woman in 2010, and currently only 1.6 children per woman in 2022, the lowest rate ever recorded by our country," she said.
She stated this during a media session after the Semarak Ummah Ceremony 2023 programme at Masjid Darul Hana, here, today.
A total of 30 couples from around the city participated in the programme, with all the expenses of the ceremony covered by the government, while the couples only need to pay RM15 to obtain a marriage certificate.
Nancy mentioned that the low fertility rate also accelerates the ageing process of the population, projecting Malaysia to become an aged nation by 2044, when 1 per cent of the total population is expected to be 60 years old and above.
In addition to helping ease the burden of couples in organising wedding ceremonies, she said the programme also aims to encourage young people to marry legally.
"This programme also aims to address the issue of teenage pregnancies outside of marriage. In addition to helping them marry properly, the ministry, through the National Population and Family Development Board (LPPKN), also provides courses for young couples to manage themselves and their families," she said.