Kuala Lumpur – MIC is receptive to the announcement by the Prime Minister Dato Seri Najib Bin Tun Razak, that amendments will be made to relevant acts in Parliament at the forthcoming session in October to resolve issues pertaining to interfaith custody.
In a press statement released yesterday MIC President Datuk Seri Dr S.Subramaniam said although the proposed amendments are long overdue, the party trusts the amendments will once and for all solve the legal disputes which often arise when one party to the civil marriage converts to Islam.
“Dato Sri Najib Razak, when speaking at the National Women’s Day celebrations recently had assured us that with these amendments, legal disputes between spouses, involving the custody of their children would be resolved in Civil Courts if their marriages were originally registered as civil marriages thus ending years of legal wrangles and mental agony faced by many non-Muslim families. This issue was of particular concern to the MIC and the Indian community as many Indian families and children were directly affected by the court battles and the negative impact it had on their lives” Dr Subra further said in his statement.
“It is my fervent hope that with these amendments the disputes and conflicts between civil and Syariah laws and the issue of overlapping jurisdiction on interfaith child custody would also be put to rest. We, in MIC have been vigorously voicing these issues for many years and we are happy to see the fruits of our efforts. I would like to point out at this juncture that I have raised this matter at Cabinet meetings on several occasions. I personally met the Attorney General and presented our views and suggestions on ways to resolve this matter in a holistic manner once and for all” Subra pointed out in his statement.
“Although we are pleased that finally the amendments will be tabled in Parliament and help put a final end to this problem, we will request a briefing from the AG’s chambers on these amendments and will put forward appropriate views if necessary to ensure a holistic and total solution to this problem” Subra said.
