An opposition Malaysian Member of Parliament (MP) suggested in parliament that the so-called "problem" of Malaysian Muslim who remain unmarried or marry late in life could be "solved" by polygamy.
Problems
Party Islam se-Malaysia (PAS) Deputy President Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man was speaking in parliament on Nov. 22, when he suggested polygamy as a solution to the "issue" of a high number of unmarried women in Malaysia.
According to The Star, he spoke during the Budget 2024 winding up speech by Women, Family and Community Development minister Nancy Shukri.
Tuan Ibrahim said that the issue of polygamy was one that many in Malaysia found sensitive, claiming that discussing the topic in Malaysia today was like committing a crime.
He added that if a man was capable, qualified and fair, they must be given moral support (for polygamy).
Without citing a source, Tuan Ibrahim said that there were more than 8.4 million unmarried women in Malaysia. For context, Malaysia’ population is about 33 million.
Ibrahim then said that he was just “looking for solutions”, saying that some on the government benches would support him.
Polygamy is not illegal in Malaysia, and there was not a suggestion that it should be made illegal.
One wife
A Barisan Nasional MP then interjected to ask whether Tuan Ibrahim had one or two wives, to laughter from the house.
Tuan Ibrahim replied that he only had one wife, but had “three more empty spots”, saying “I will wait, maybe we can move together”.
The Vibes quoted him as saying according to the 2010 Malaysian census report, 5.56 million Malaysians aged 30 or older had married late or were unmarried.
This was the second time that week that polygamy had been brought up.
Earlier, opposition Bersatu MP Nordin Ahmad Ismail recited a pantun (traditional Malay poem) that touched on polygamy, according to Free Malaysia Today.
"Ada hati nak tambah isteri, tambah isteri nombor dua, Assalamualaikum YB menteri, soalan saya nombor dua."
(“I intend to get another wife, she will be my Number 2, Assalamualaikum dear minister, my question is Number 2.”)
This bizarre exchange was commented on by Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh on social media, where said that marrying late was not a problem that needed to be solved.
She also asked rhetorically what was the point of a marriage where one is neglected.
Perbahasan peruntukan @KPWKM. Ahli Parlimen PAS cadang poligami untuk selesai masalah wanita lambat kahwin😳😳. Yang Berhormat, pendapat saya lambat kahwin bukan satu masalah yang perlu diselesaikan. Apa guna kahwin tapi diabaikan? Jodoh datang tak mengenal masa. pic.twitter.com/sNPuG5y04A
— Hannah Yeoh (@hannahyeoh) November 22, 2023
Personal choice
Tuan Ibrahim was rebuked during the parliamentary session, with DAP MP Yeo Bee Yin calling him impolite and sexist, according to the Malay Mail.
Furthermore, “it hurts the feelings of women and wives in the Dewan Rakyat and outside”, she said, asking how they would feel with him suggesting polygamy.
She also hit back at Tuan Ibrahim’s suggestion that women being single was problematic, saying that it was the right and personal choice of every woman. She urged Tuan Ibrahim to retract his statement.
Tuan Ibrahim declined to retract the statement despite the criticism.
"Frivolously parading"
Perhaps the most biting response came from DAP MP and Deputy Minister of Communications and Digital Teo Nie Ching.
Free Malaysia Today quoted her as saying in a statement that she was “appalled and disgusted” by the remarks, and pointed towards the Perikatan Nasional bloc’s seemingly “unkind and disrespectful” views on women.
Teo castigated the MPs for “frivolously parading” polygamy, while ignoring more pertinent domestic issues, such as divorce arising from adultery, or failure to provide alimony.
PN, Teo said, did not advocate for a “better environment in which young couples could thrive.”
Instead, she claimed they used allocated parliamentary time to “campaign for polygamy, because that is what gets them views and attention”.
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Top image via Teo Nie Ching/Facebook