YOURSAY | ‘Is this a sign of how MCA MPs would vote on Hadi's bill?’

Perlis amends law to allow unilateral child conversion

David Dass: This is extraordinary. At the federal level, the government is trying to solve the problems caused by the unilateral conversion of minors.

We are all aware of the case of R Subashini versus T Saravanan in 2007 where the Federal Court ruled that Article 12(4) of the Federal Constitution allows a child to be converted with consent from only one parent.

It is tragic when the husband converts to Islam, covertly taking his children with him and converting them to Islam without the wife's knowledge or consent.

The wife, who remains as Hindu, is unable to get relief from the syariah courts. How can anyone condone such behaviour on the part of the husband?

The action of the Perlis state government flies in the face of the federal government's attempt to amend the Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) (Amendment) Bill 2016, where such conversions would require the consent of both parents.

The Perlis MCA state representative's abstention is incomprehensible. It explains why the Chinese community no longer support MCA.

Gaji Buta: So, if the federal government ends unilateral conversion, will Perlis have to follow as well?

MCA, this is your fault for not pushing the government which you are part of to expedite this issue.

Anonymous 122461436161429: A non-Muslim couple marries under the non-Muslim law, and later has non-Muslim children. Then one day the man wakes up and says he has found Allah and converts to Islam.

No one else has found Allah in his family. He is then allowed to convert his children (even though they may be babies) and disregard the non-Muslim mother’s stand and her rights over her children whom she bore and gave birth to.

And the Muslim convert can totally disregard the non-Muslim law he opted for in the first place and ignore the rights of the mother and children?

Worldly Wise: The law is both unIslamic and unconstitutional. In Islam, a child cannot be converted to Islam by one parent before the child can discern for itself. The age of discernment in Islam is generally accepted to be nine years.

The amendment is also unconstitutional. Men and women have equal rights under the federal constitution. The man cannot convert the woman's child without her consent. A woman cannot convert a man's child without the man’s consent.

Under the Child Act, a child attains majority on attaining 18 years of age. Converting the child before the child is 18 is inhumane. Upon reaching the age of majority and after that at any time, the child unconstitutionally converted must be allowed to disavow Islam.

The law is one-sided. It is bad in Islam. It is bad universally. Often men convert to Islam to receive the "rehabilitation allowance" of RM5,000 per conversion. A man who converts and converts his say, four children, will get RM25,000.

The woman can weep. It does not matter.

Hardboiled: This is an encroachment on non-Muslims’ lives. Now every non-Muslim mother or father will dread the possibility of conversion.

SusahKes: And who was it who said that PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang's bill would not encroach into non-Muslims' rights?

And wonder of wonders, the MCA’s Titi Tinggi state assemblyperson Khaw Hock Kong abstained from voting. Is this a sign of how MCA MPs would respond when Hadi's bill finally lands in Parliament for debate?

Johari unaware of China link in 1MDB repayment to IPIC

RM2.6 Billion Turkey Haram: Finance Minister II Johari Abdul Ghani, enough of playing dumb. There are already too many ministers of such calibre in the cabinet.

If it is not China that is linked to the 1MDB repayment to Abu Dhabi-based International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC), which country is capable of throwing such huge amounts of money?

Only the Chinese are capable of throwing such huge amounts of money, even at high risk, into such venture so long as its motives are achieved.

Worldly Wise: China was asked to help Malaysia, not 1MDB. When Malaysia receives the money, the Finance Ministry will somehow or other pay it to IPIC.

US$6.5 billion (RM30,000,000,000) debt will then be fully repaid. That is the "rationalisation" scheme. The kleptocrat can keep what he took. Attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali will okay everything. No one can challenge it.

Their Royal Highnesses will not get involved. And the rakyat will not know a thing.

Demi Rakyat: I wonder why the press, or anyone for that matter, bother to ask PM Najib Razak's appointees. Have any of them given a proper and appropriate answer before?

Anonymous 122461436161429: I pity Johari. He was a fine corporate man and now is seen as a lackey of Najib. As the second finance minister, he is not even aware how the hole in a ministry-owned company is going to be filled.

If he had any pride and integrity left, he would resign and not stick around and made into a fool who will be left carrying the monster called 1MDB.

If he is not left carrying the monster, he is pretending to ignore it and this is worse. If there is going to be a bailout - with foreign funds - of a sovereign company owned by the ministry, shouldn't he know about this?

Vijay47: Johari, you can deny until you are blue in the face, but like every single rumour or foreign report, events will soon show that they are right and you are wrong. Don't you guys ever learn?

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