Sabah mulls over mass wedding programme to ease marriage costs

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The programme would assist low-income couples and promote lawful marriages.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: PIXABAY

KOTA KINABALU - The Sabah government in Malaysia is considering introducing a “kahwin perdana” (mass wedding) programme to assist low-income couples and promote marriages that are lawful, organised and in line with Islamic requirements.

State Local Government and Housing Minister Mohd Arifin Arif said the proactive initiative is currently being studied by the state government.

He said the programme could help reduce wedding expenses while fostering values of moderation, blessings and responsibility in building strong Muslim families.

“If approved, the initiative will be implemented in a planned and phased manner with the cooperation of the Sabah Islamic Religious Affairs Department, the Sabah Islamic Religious Council, other relevant agencies and the local community,” he said during his winding-up speech at the Sabah state assembly sitting on Dec 17.

Datuk Arifin added that the programme would ensure all existing legal provisions and Islamic marriage procedures enforced in Sabah are strictly complied with.

In the same vein, he said the government is also gradually examining proposals to subsidise fees for Islamic pre-marriage courses, particularly for low-income groups and young couples planning to get married.

“The initiative aims to ease the financial burden while ensuring prospective couples receive adequate exposure to family knowledge, responsibilities and syariah understanding before entering marriage,” he said. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK