Divorce rate on the rise
By ISABELLE LAI
isabellelai@thestar.com.my

KUALA LUMPUR: The divorce rate among non-Muslims has escalated by a whopping 169% from 2009 to 2010, with a lack of mutual understanding being the main cause.

Deputy Women, Family and Community Development Minister Heng Seai Kie, who revealed this, said that according to a National Population and Family Development Board survey, 41.8% of couples cited this as their reason for divorce.

This was followed by a lack of responsibility (11.4%), interference from in-laws (8.7%), drug addiction (6.5%), infidelity (6.5%) and others.

National Registration Department statistics showed that 7,900 divorce cases were filed last year compared to 2,938 in 2009.

Heng said this was a grave concern that had led the ministry to consider making its pre-wedding education course, dubbed the Smart Start programme, compulsory for engaged non-Muslim couples.

“Our role is to strengthen the family institution. It is also very worrying that couples filing for divorce have been getting younger and younger,” she said yesterday.

She said the ministry had organised a total of 361 Smart Start programmes throughout Malaysia from August 2006 to December last year for a total of 12,429 participants.

Heng said they had received many requests from all races to make the three-day course compulsory.

“This way, both sexes will attend the course. If a couple has intentions to get married, there is no reason for them not to attend,” she said, adding that it would cost RM50 per person to purchase course materials.

The course includes modules on communication, roles and responsibilities of husband and wife. It can be conducted in the participants' preferred language of English, Bahasa Malaysia, Mandarin or Tamil.

However, Heng stressed that the ministry would consult all relevant parties first before making such a decision.

She said she would meet religious heads, including representatives from the Malaysian Consultative Council on Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism to receive their input on the issue.