Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) (Amendment) Bill 2017 tabled for its first reading
KUALA LUMPUR: A day af ter withdrawing the Law Reform ( Marriage and Divorce) ( Amendment) Bill 2016 which should have been at the second reading, the government yesterday tabled it for a 2017 amendment in the Dewan Rakyat.
Named Law Reform ( Marriage and Divorce) (Amendment) Bill 2017, it was tabled by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said for fi rst reading.
During the tabling, Azalina also announced that the second and third reading of the bill would be made in the current sitting of Dewan Rakyat.
The Dewan Rakyat session which started on July 24 is scheduled to end on Aug 10.
The Law Reform ( Marriage and Divorce) (Amendment) Bill 2016 was scheduled to be tabled for second reading and debated on Monday, before Azalina applied to postpone and withdraw the bill.
Meanwhi le, Azalina, in a statement yesterday, said the government was of the stand that the amendment to the bill was in line with the Federal Constitution and the outcome of the cases in the Federal Court and Appeals Court prior to this.
She said the amendment of the bill was also to ensure no quarters would challenge the legitimacy of the law under Clause (1) Article 4 of the Federal Constitution.
“The government is serious in making the amendment on the law to protect the harmony of the multi-racial and multi-religious populace in the country, other than ensuring claims like child custody and maintenance until the highest level of education are protected and assured,” she said.
Yesterday, Azalina said the new bill is to replace the Amendment Bill 2016 which had been tabled for fi rst reading in November last year.
She said the new bill saw an amendment by dropping Clause 88A in the act to avoid the unilateral changing of children’s religion.