heng: Maintenance age for children should not be capped

PETALING JAYA: The maintenance for children should not be capped at 18 years of age, but extended to the end of tertiary studies, says Wanita MCA.

“An 18-year-old is normally still undergoing pre-university education, is not independent or marketable, and as such, should not become a victim of a failed marriage,” said the wing’s chairman Datuk Heng Seai Kie yesterday.

Heng said the matter was raised at a meeting of Wanita MCA’s Law and Policy Reform Committee with Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail at the Attorney-General’s Chambers on Monday.

She also called for strict enforcement of court orders on maintenance, stating that it should be extended to imprisonment for non-compliant parties.

Among the other issues raised was the need for a wider and broader approach in redefining rape in order to protect children.

“Sex without consent is rape, be it any form of oral or anal penetration using objects. It must be recognised as a violent crime,” said Heng.

She added that female lawmakers must speak up to get a handle on the discrimination and disparity faced by women by putting in concerted efforts against the backdrop of the Federal Constitution, existing laws, court judgments, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (Cedaw) and Malaysia’s plurality.

Several amendments to the Law Reform (Marriage & Divorce) Act 1976 were also raised, such as the proposal that both partners to a marriage must dissolve their marriage upon a spouse’s conversion to Islam.

“Religious freedom should not become a tool in a marriage dispute and Islamic family law should not continuously be used as a weapon to hurt the non-converting spouse,” said Heng.

Another proposal raised was that a husband’s place of residence should not dictate the forum for family disputes.