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This was an interesting article written by Azmi Sharom in the Star today. Malaysia is probably the only country in the world who still practises institutionalised racism! Quotas everywhere which is not based on needs but based on skin colour and race. Since when Bumi discounts of houses became a Malay right! It is not stated anywhere in the constitution, as what PERKASA claims. Tun Razak introduced this discount scheme to encourage Malays to buy houses, especially in towns but unfortunately, as I said before, anything that is too long is detrimental. Now it has become a Malay right!. Remember, NEP was clearly drafted to last for only 20 years but now it is being hijacked by the Malay elites to benefit them. As what Tony Pua said, why a person who can buy a house worth RM500 000, need a discount? Why a person who earns millions as a director need scholarship for his children?This is what I call total misuse of the system. God is watching!

Stand up and be counted, Malaysia

Brave New World (The Star)
26 August 2010

It is strange that in the 21st century, we are still having to face the problem of institutionalised racism.

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OVER the past week or so, there have been some developments in our country which are more disturbing than usual.
In particular, the two cases of alleged racist remarks by school heads; the accusations that Penang mosques have replaced the Yang di-Pertuan Agong with the Chief Minister’s name in their prayers; and the continued insistence that Article 153 of the Constitution is equal to an inalienable right that could not be questioned.
These events are interrelated and it seems to me that they indicate that there is a battle of ideology going on in the country now.
On one side is the idea that a person’s ethnicity and religion entitles him to be treated better than anyone else who is different. On the other side is the idea that equality is an aspiration that is both noble and necessary for nation building.
It is strange that in the 21st century we are still having to face the problem of institutionalised racism.
Looking at our history, one can see why this has occurred. The combination of race-based politics and poorly interpreted constitutional provisions have meant that the idea of racial and religious superiority has been allowed to grow and become the norm rather than something undesirable and out of the ordinary.
How else can one explain the possibility that teachers, the very people to whom we entrust the education of our children, can have such warped values and also have the gall to express those views publicly?
How else can we explain the near rabid attack on the Penang Chief Minister for something which he and the state religious department have vehemently denied and in fact would have been insane to attempt?
Let’s analyse this one step at a time. When the dominant political parties in this country do not have any political ideology to speak of and are instead, based on the principle that each race-based component has a duty to safeguard the interest of its community, what one has is a recipe for the kind of policy and rhetoric that divides rather than unites.
Historically, one can see the reasons why the politics of the nation was forged in this way. It was a necessary evil in the face of the divide-and-rule policy by the British to show that even when separate, the three major communities of the nation can still work together politically.
However, it is an unsustainable model and what started life as a fairly rosy example of racial cooperation too easily descended into crude racialist type politics.
Which is why the early aspirations that our founding fathers had for a society treated with equality has now been all but buried by the idea that one race is superior to others and in fact is the only race with any right to be here in Malaysia.
This is because in the battlefields of politics, it is easiest to appeal to base racialist emotions, especially when without those types of ideas, a party based on race will have no collateral to work with.
In this kind of political atmosphere, it is of no surprise that what has been forgotten is that the basis of this nation was one of justice and equality. And the document that is meant to protect that, the Federal Constitution, has been misinterpreted to the extent that there is no longer any trace of this aspiration in the mainstream discourse of the day.
Let us be absolutely clear on this matter, the Constitution does give powers to the government to take affirmative action and it does acknowledge the fact that Islam has a special place in the public life of the nation.
What it does not intend to do however is create a perpetual system of ethnic-based favourable treatment nor does it advocate the idea that all other religious beliefs must be subservient to Islam.
However, instead of this reasonable position, what we have today is the idea that affirmative action for Malays is unquestionable and to be continued in perpetuity becoming the norm.
This cannot be further from the truth as there are no legal justification for it at all.
Article 153 of the Federal Constitution is seen as the holy grail for those who hold this view. However, if we examine the provision closely we will notice two things.
Firstly, affirmative action is not a Malay right. Article 153 does not endow a right. What it does is to merely give government the power to take affirmative action despite the overarching ideal of equality which is enshrined in Article 8 of the Constitution.
To support this contention, we see that Article 8 clearly states that all citizens in this country are equal except for situations specifically provided for in the Constitution. Those “specific provisions” are found in Article 153 and there are not many of them.
They include the power to establish quotas for the civil service, permits and licences, scholarships and education.
Therefore anything other than these areas should not be subjected to affirmative action.
Furthermore, any affirmative action has to be reasonable. The idea of what is reasonable must surely be open to research and debate otherwise there will always be the risk of abuse and wastage of resources.
This being the case, although questioning the existence of such a power to have affirmative action is moot, discussion on the efficacy of affirmative action policies and programmes surely is not.
The way the discourse is today, and not merely by the racialist fringe but by mainstream politicians in power, is that even the implementation of Article 153 is not to be questioned at all.
This is surely wrong based both on the meaning of the Constitution as well as the principle held by the founding fathers that Article 153 was an unfortunate but necessary aberration from the ideals of equality and that it was to be used not in perpetuity.
With these kinds of distortion of law, is it any wonder then that we still get people actually classifying whole swathes of the citizenry as having no right to be here?
Is it any wonder then that a crazy accusation against a Chief Minister whose government has given twice as much money to the Islamic bodies in the state than the previous administration, can give rise to the belief that he is a threat to the faith?
If this country is to have any future as a true nation, the time has come for those who believe in the ideals of equality, ideals which were held by the political founding fathers of the country as well as the traditional Rulers of that time, to stand up and be counted.
To not be cowed by the bigots and to say that this is our country and it stands on noble humanitarian ideals, not opportunistic racialist thinking.

Well, Ibrahim Ali and the UMNO goons have asked the non-Malays to go back wherever they came from. I have said this before, that there will come a time when the population of non-Malays will be less than 10% in Malaysia. I predict this will happen sooner than expected, probably by 2050. I may not be around by that time or probably still around but in some other country, perhaps!

I would love to see where this country will be at that point of time and how the Malays will be cheating their own race and the widening gap of the rich and the poor Malays, which is already happening. 

I just hope the Orang Asli’s will say the same to Ibrahim Ali, Najib Razak,  Ahmad Ismail , the school headmistress etc etc to go back to the Indonesian islands!

 

They screw up this country and keep using the non-Malays as their punching bag to divert the attention. Fighting for Malay rights konon, pooooooooooooooooooodah…………………………

  

If Tunku Abdul Rahman were alive today, he would weep at the destruction of bridges he had built between the races in Malaysia.

In a speech to the Foreign Correspondents Association in May 1961, he warned us about “a small minority who did not think, feel, believe and work for the good of Malaya”. Referring to national unity, he said: “This goal would not be achieved if the Chinese continued to think and talk of everything Chinese.”

Ironically, some Malays and a misguided Chinese convert have let the Tunku down, while the non-Malays have embraced his vision wholeheartedly.

The Tunku was passionate about loyalty: “We, who are here, have only our little Malaya. The Chinese, Malays and others have to make the best of our home here. Malaya, our one and only home”. He explained that without unity, “there would be conflict and hell will break loose”.

Fast forward to 2010 and the two school principals who allegedly told their Chinese students to “return to China”. They’ve aped the anti-Chinese rhetoric of Ibrahim Ali, Ahmad Ismail and Ridhuan Tee Abdullah. They are egged-on by a former prime minister, who refuses to retire gracefully, and whose constant meddling will destroy this country. 

Not content at being sidelined, Information, Communication and Culture Minister Rais Yatim has condemned the MCA president for demanding the gradual reduction of the 30 percent bumiputera economic equity.

However, let’s forget about 30 percent bumiputera equity.

Let’s imagine a ‘Ketuanan Melayu Utopia’ with 100 percent Malay bumiputera equity, with all the Chinese ‘banished’ to China and the Indians to India.

Will we be socially, economically, morally and religiously content, in Malay brotherhood?

In this Utopia, will the handful of individuals who used to control the wealth of the nation, relinquish their economic stranglehold and share it?

Their actions could eradicate poverty across the country and lift the economic status of the Malays, especially the rural Malays.

But I doubt that they will give up control and power.

Will the government-linked companies or the companies ‘belonging’ to powerful politicians share projects with the other 97 percent of the population? Would projects be put to open tender? Would the Ali Baba companies that used to exist be disbanded? Or will clones of these Ali Baba firms emerge?

Lifestyle changes?

How will our schools fare? Teachers, especially principals, need not go into racist rants. Will bullying and harassment manifest itself in other forms?

Out will go the subject called ‘Moral’ for the non-Malays. Sports, especially for girls, would probably cease; Westernised activities like boy-scouts or girl-guides would stop.

As music is anathema to Muslim teachings, unless they are nasyid songs, students who appreciate music and want to learn a musical instrument would have to stop harbouring foolish ideas.

There will be even less emphasis on English. A nephew at a Mara boarding school tried to improve his English, by speaking English to his friends. Unfortunately, both his schoolmates and teachers teased him, “Kamu-ni action-nya, nak jadi Mat-Salleh kah?” (Why are you showing off, do you want to be a Westerner?) so he stopped.

With universities attended and staffed by Malays only, standards should be expected to rise, because there is no competition to slow them down and distract them.

With this new Ketuanan Melayu Utopia, there will be open season on polygamy. Men will be able to marry whenever and whoever they like. There will be no equality for women.

A man can opt to marry girls as soon as they reach the age of puberty. He can get around the laws prohibiting sex with a minor, by marrying in Malacca. When he tires of her, there is always the option of a second, third or fourth wife.

He need not worry about his children’s welfare, or breakdown of the family-unit, as the courts rarely enforce maintenance payments. Women being responsible mothers, will always work harder, to subsidise his lifestyle and support his family.

Places that used to sell alcohol, and entertainment establishments like nightclubs or karaoke bars, will cease to exist and ‘social ills’ should disappear. The ‘moral police’ who used to look for drinkers like Kartika, may be downsized. Unemployment figures could rise as a result.

Will the khalwat squads still turn a blind eye to immoral VIPs? Having a 100 percent Malay nation will not stop illicit sex.

As there will be no more Gregorian New Year and Valentine’s day celebrations, there will be no more abandoned babies.

How will the Malays decide between employment in the cushy civil service or a job in the private sector? Will the government machinery become leaner and more efficient?

Identity, cultural crises

With religious fervor, will the Malays become fully Arabicised or Islamicised? Our Malay architectural heritage has long been abandoned for Arabic domes.

The kebaya has been usurped by the jubah. Tudung or mini-telekung have replaced ordinary head scarves. Even Malay men parade in white Arab robes. War memorials are banned and logos on football jerseys are subject to scrutiny.

Malay weddings have long since become politically correct and institutionalised. Apart from the customary vulgar display of wealth, there is no more joget or mingling among guests. Men and women have neglected how to behave in each other’s presence because of segregation. Basically, everyone has forgotten how to have fun.

The Malays are suffering from an identity and cultural crisis. They are stuck in a time-warp and refuse to move with the times. They lack a strong leader. They have been held back by leaders who do not understand their needs but who were content to use them indiscriminately. Malays have been conditioned to be suspicious of each other and kept in check by fear.

All the Ibrahim Alis, Ahmad Ismails, Ridhuan Tee Abdullahs and racist school-principals of Malaysia are simply ‘dark-skinned’ neo-Nazis. If these ‘pseudo Aryans’ believe that 100 percent bumiputera equity, or banishing non-Malays from Malaysia will improve our social and economic outcomes, then their heads need examination.

When their experiment for a 100 percent Malay nation-state fails to lift the rural Malays out of poverty and creates a wider gap between rich and poor Malays, what then? When their ill-conceived ‘social-engineering’ creates more Malay disunity, who will they blame?

In our Malay Utopia, will Dr Mahathir Mohamad be sent back to Kerala, will Ridhuan Tee be returned to China and will the other ‘Indonesian Malays’ like Dr Mohd Khir Toyo and Najib Abdul Razak be sent packing?

//

MARIAM MOKHTAR is a non-conformist traditionalist from Perak, a bucket chemist and an armchair eco-warrior. In ‘real–speak’, this translates into that she comes from Ipoh, values change but respects culture, is a petroleum chemist and also an environmental pollution-control scientist.

 

COMMENT August 31st is coming and our leaders are already instigating all of us to show our patriotism, loyalty, love and respect for our beloved nation by way of planting the Jalur Gemilang everywhere – on our car top, roof of our homes and factory or office buildings.

I did not do it last year or the year before.

I am not inclined to do so this year either for I am suffering from a disease known as ‘malangitis’. I just coined this word, so don’t bother looking up the dictionary for its meaning.

It’s from the word malang or bad luck or cursed in Malay. It infers sakit Ketuanan Melayu, thus the cursed Ketuanan Melayu disease. I am having the bad luck of suffering from the excesses of the Ketuanan Melayu leadership as they run the country, so I won’t be in a festive mood come Merdeka Day.

Apparently malangitis took root when the Malay leadership took absolute control over the running of the country after the May 13th 1969 debacle. 

The Malays were like the proverbial hungry fishermen among other not-so-hungry ones.

The leaders meaningfully wanted to preserve the honour and dignity of the Malays by formulating and instituting policies that would catapult the Malays into the not-so-hungry fishermen category; into the Malaysian economic mainstream.

So they did what had been thought a wonderful idea – by giving the Malays a lot of fish. But of course for a limited period of twenty years, according to its architect, the second PM, Abdul Razak Hussein (right).

In other words by 1990 they wanted to see the Malays in control of thirty percent of the Malays from a very low two. We all know the name of the policy is the NEP.

But giving fish to a bunch of hungry fishermen has proven to be a short-sighted way of solving the problem. Better had they been given some materials like wood, some tools like axes, saws, nails, ropes, threads and such and teach them how to make boats and nets. They would soon be able to fish again! It’s a sustainable solution so they won’t be hungry ever again!

This would amount to changing a mindset, of jumping out of the paradigm box.

But changing the mindset is a tough exercise. It requires a good injection of technical knowledge, skill, ability and experience, and quite possibly involves a lot of sacrifice and hard work.

It takes a lot of time too, not to mention good old fashioned luck. More importantly perhaps, it takes a lot of mental attitude to want to jump out of the box, to change, in the first place. A quick fix might provide short term relief to a deep-seated problem but not sustainable long-term ones.
 
Stagnant level

Well, we all know that the targeted twenty years had passed by and Malay involvement in the economy had been, well, lacklustre – at 18.9 percent in 1990 and apparently at this stagnant level in around 2005 by the government’s own admission. I am wondering what the figure is now.

And here came the first symptom of malangitis. In 1990 the leaders did not call the country’s stakeholders (that’s us) in the country to sit down, have a close look and analysis at the situation, and to come up with some fresh ways of going forward.

Had they done so, at this point they might discover the truth that the Malays might have the wish to change but have not got the mental and technical wherewithal, capability, and the courage to undertake painful sacrifices beyond just hard work. Appropriate plans and programmes would have been formulated.

But instead the leaders did not even have the intelligence to seek feedback. They went on doing exactly what they have been doing in the past twenty years: continue with the (already proven) ineffective quick fix. They gave the Malays more and more fish!

Since then and for two decades now, the country went into a tailspin.

Well, well. All modern pundits and philosophers say that we all must learn from our mistakes for if we don’t we are bound to repeat it. And repeat it we have. We are now paying the price for our folly.

For a start democracy has become a dirty word. It used to be the system of government of the people by the people and for the people, but now to a system of government of BN, by Umno and for the Malays.

It used to be a system of rule of law but now it’s rule by law (i.e. for private individuals). It used to be a system where justice and fairness is the norm, and where meritocracy is supreme.

Now it is a system of autocracy where cronyism and nepotism are rife.

The government prestige and reputation has reached new lows. Just witness the following comment expressed by a FairMind on a report regarding the sudden presentation of a purported ‘note’ by the AG’s Chambers in the Teoh Beng Hock case, which I take liberty to quote:

“In Malaysia, we have the immigration department obliterating Altantuya’s (left) immigration records, the government hospital’s doctor doctoring Kugan’s post mortem record, the military covering up for the lost jet engine, the AG, PDRM and the MACC fabricating evidence for the powers-that-be, the judges acquitting the crooks and BN cronies, the customs close one eye on politicians and royalties, etc. Not only thieves and robbers are involved in dishonesty any more; in Malaysia even the government does it – yes, big time! Can we believe in the government any more?”

Belligerent tone

As a people, the Malays were becoming arrogant. Leaders like Ahmad Ismail are known to have said publicly that “If you don’t the country, just leave”. Others say something like “Don’t test our patience”, again on the principle of quick fix, albeit on a belligerent tone.

Others, many others, wave the kris menacingly in the air to dramatise and underscore their perceived grievances against the (more stable and rational) non-Malay population.

Meanwhile any and every Malay would make full use of the fact that the Malays are in control; they make full use of the might is right principle of government knowing that Big Brother is lending total support. Any and every article that smells of anti-government, anti-religion and anti-Agong sentiments would be declared ‘seditious’.

As such a police report at the very least would be made against the author. Helen Ang suffers from this case when Perkasa Youth chief Arman Azhar Abu Hanifah launched a police report against her partly for expressing anti-Agong sentiments.

(But when Tun Mahathir Mohamad amended the constitution in an obvious anti-monarchy binge in 1993, well… that is ok; perhaps Perkasa was not yet around).

The imams or ulama too were becoming arrogant. They make the claim that this country is constitutionally an Islamic state (which it is not), and then force their archaic versions of Islamic values to well nigh everyone. Under this ambit suddenly S Banggarma (right), a Hindu from birth, found herself caged as a Muslim!

But at least she is still alive. Recently two unfortunate souls jumped out from the window of their respective apartments when the morality police came knocking; they were inside with their female partners. They died upon hitting ground several floors below.

The questions here are: is it justifiable for the morality police to be watchful over private morality? Are they not in some way culpable for any physical injury including death in their pursuit of upholding morality? I believe somehow that they are and at the very least an inquest should have been organised. In the event I did not detect any expression of remorse or regret on the part of the causers of these unfortunate loss of life.

The civil servants, another ‘branch’ of the Ketuanan Melayu leadership, too have their arrogance or misplaced philosophies.

Sidek Hassan (right), the chief secretary to the government said in a Malaysiakini interview that civil servants “have to be loyal” to the government of the day because “the government serves the people… the government have to be answerable to the people”.

He is absolutely correct at this point.

But he added “And if the government thinks that the best way to serve (the people) is to do it in a certain way, as civil servants we follow what the government tells us to do,” which effectively nullifies his first point.

Civil servants should stand up against any excesses shown by the government for their loyalty must always be directed to their paymasters, the people.

String of Cs

I have listed string of Cs prevailing in the country which demonstrating other symptoms of malangitis in my previous article, some of them being confusion, contradiction, conflict, and coercion in describing the social political and economic environment.

In this current writing consider this following case to illustrate two of the many Cs, confusion and contradiction, the case of the touted ‘The Government Transformation Programme’, otherwise known as ‘1Malaysia’.

Apparently the goal of 1Malaysia is “a nation where, it is hoped, every Malaysian perceives himself or herself as Malaysian first, and by race, religion, geographical region or socio-economic background second”.

It was a definition clear and concise, even a reasonable secondary schoolboy could or would understand what this means. We were all geared to internalize this worthwhile mission.

But when DPM Muhyiddin Yasin was asked about his stand on this vital issue he insisted that he is ‘Malay first’! He continued with by now famous “How can I say I’m Malaysian first and Malay second? All the Malays will shun me… and it’s not proper.”

Then take the case of the august YB Mustapa Mohamed (right) speaking at a press conference on Aug 7 after opening a 10th Malaysia Plan seminar at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur.

Apparently he mentioned that the people, especially Malays, should not disregard the NEP because it has brought about “many achievements” since its inception in 1971. It breaks my heart when I hear that Malays say they don’t need the NEP,” he apparently said further.

He cleverly did not say that many Malays are essentially tired not of the original principles and visions of NEP but on the inability to respond adequately psychologically to the changing demands, to the subsequent abuse of its implementation (like nepotism), and to the endemic corruption it has brought along.

Affirmative action

Mustapa then talked about the non-bumiputeras having to accept the reality that Malays have rights to affirmative action, that the dignity, pride and honour of the Malay must be protected.

A series of confusion immediately here for he mentioned two famous words – rights and reality. Rights and reality? What rights and what reality?

Is it the right to steal and plunder the nation’s treasury? Or to smash into pieces public institutions like education (and producing graduates who could not interact) and the judiciary (where we revert to tribal laws)?

Or, fragmenting of the people into bumis and non-bumis, filthy rich and dirt poor Malays, Muslims and non-Muslims? Between open-minded freedom-loving and close-minded mentally enslaved citizens?

Or, FDI to dwindle by 89 percent in 2009 alone and with Mustapa saying not to worry, this is ok? Or, the running away of domestic capital abroad? Or the more than 300,000 talented, experienced, knowledgeable and trained people running away to other climes in the last two years? Are these the rights and reality Mustapa mentioned in the pursuit and preservation of Malay dignity and honour?

Hang Tuah wouldn’t agree to this, nor would Tun Abdul Razak, or the ordinary well-meaning but manipulated Malay mainstream.

In the meantime my acute malangitis prevents me from planting the jalur gemilang come this August 31st.

 

//

AB SULAIMAN is an observer of human traits and foibles, especially within the context of religion and culture. As a liberal, he marvels at the way orthodoxy fights to maintain its credibility in a devilishly fast-changing world. He hopes to provide some understanding to the issues at hand and wherever possible, suggest some solutions. He holds a Bachelor in Social Sciences (Leicester, UK) and a Diploma in Public Administration, Universiti Malaya.

 

Sometimes I wonder whether our politicians have any brains! First they say NO to sex education claiming that it will only increase sex related activities. Then, when they realise that the number of “official” unwed mothers and baby dumping activities has gone up, without looking at the root of the problem, our Malacca government decided to take a “knee-jerk” reaction. Why worry, just ask them to get married lah………………….

 

I have said in my earlier post some time ago that sweeping the problem under the carpet is not going to solve anything. Everyone of us knows the severity of these premarital sex issues among our people. It is a global phenomenon. Despite that, our politicians, due to political pressure, decided to ignore the fact. Each one of them wants to be more Islamic than the other. The official figure that is quoted is probably not even 1/5 of the actual numbers. In my wife’s government clinic, situated in a suburban area, there is atlest 1-2 unwed single mothers almost every week or two. Of course don’t forget those who abort and hide the pregnancy!

 

Now, our genius Malacca CM have decided to get them married. Firstly, how is he going to decide who is the father of the unborn child? Interesting question! Then he finds one guy who supposedly the father of the unborn child and ask him to marry her. She is 14 years old and he is 16 years old. Great , now they get married and live happily ever after……………………… story closed??????????????? But Oh NO!!!! he just realised that both of them are still studying and have no income!!! WTH, nevermind, leave the baby with your mother and con’t studying. Since you have legalised child marriage, the husband can continue to make babies (no contraception mah, NO SEX EDUCATION PLS). She will get pregnant again and again and there goes her education. Then when the husband finishes his “so-called” education, he will marry someone else. The first child bride will be abandoned to survive on her own! But of course, our CM is happy as no baby dumping and no unwed mothers, everything is solved from statistical point of view

 

Interesting movie to make, I hope Yasmin Ahmad was still alive to make such movies………………………..

 

 

 

Malacca’s decision to allow child marriages caused an outcry today, with rights groups condemning new rules that allow Muslim girls below 16 years to wed. 

The decision by the Islamic religious council in Malacca has been billed as an attempt to curb premarital sex and baby dumping, after a string of cases of newborns being abandoned.

“Child marriage amounts to paedophilia. We should not condone child marriages,” said Ivy Josiah (left), executive director of leading activist group Women’s Aid Organisation.

Malacca Chief Minister Mohamad Ali Rustam reportedly said that marriages for Muslims below the current minimum age of 16 years for females and 18 for males would be allowed with the permission of parents and religious courts.

Ali Rustam (left), who is the chairman of the influential state Islamic council, said the plan would reduce the number of cases of babies born out of wedlock and cut incidents of adultery.

“It is a practical move in preventing cases of unwed teenage mothers and other social problems,” he was was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times newspaper Wednesday.

The report said that in the first six months of the year, 174 Muslim women gave birth outside wedlock in the state. All were below 20 years old.

‘Morally and socially unacceptable’

In Malaysia, Muslims make up about 60 percent of the 28 million population and are subject to religious syariah law which operates in parallel with the civil legal system.

Malacca earlier announced that the state would open a special school for Muslim girls who become pregnant out of wedlock, a move that also came under fire from rights groups.

“This is a knee-jerk reaction, and such policies should not be carved out by state religious authorities but the federal Ministries of Women, Education, and Health,” said Josiah.

Josiah said that Malaysia recognises those aged under 18 years as children, and that allowing them to marry early would deprive them of an education and the right to choose a partner.

“It is really a regressive move. It is turning back the clock. This man (the chief minister) should resign,” she said.

Shahrizat Abdul Jalil (right), the minister for women, family and community development, said that underage marriage was “morally and socially unacceptable”.

“Placing the heavy burden and responsibility of parenthood on children can deprive them of their rights to a full and harmonious development,” she said.

The number of underage pregnancies in Malaysia rose to 111 in the first four months of this year from 107 in 2008, according to government numbers.

Recent cases of babies being abandoned by their unwed mothers have led the Malaysian government to set up its first baby “hatch”, where mothers can drop off unwanted children anonymously.

Meanwhile, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Jamil Khir Baharom said that permission to marry for under-aged students is not across the board but determined on a case-by-case basis.

“Under Islamic enactments for marriage, the minimum age is 18 for males and 16 for females but there can be exceptions.

“As such, the action by the Melaka Islamic Religious Council to permit under-age marriage is provided for under the law but has to be done on a case-by-case basis,” he told reporters after witnessing the signing of a memorandum of agreement (MOA) between the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) and 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

The MOA allows Jakim to manage 1MDB scholarships for students from religious schools.

– Agencies