The proposal, raised by a youth assembly in Perak, would provide a RM500 incentive for those between the ages of 15 and 35 marrying for the first time.
Muda president Amira Aisya Abdul Aziz said those between 15 and 17 years old should be in school, and not thinking about marriage.
She urged the Perak government to reconsider the proposal. The state could not “hide behind the excuse” that those between 15 and 17 were technically defined as youths.
Executive council members should prepare comprehensive policies “free of such loopholes”, she said in a statement.
The proposed incentive, raised at a youth assembly in Perak, was aimed at easing the financial burdens of newly-wedded young couples, state executive councillor Khairudin Abu Hanipah was quoted by Malay Mail Online as saying.
The initiative is aimed at those between the ages of 15 and 35-years-old who fall under the definition of “youth” in the Youth Development and Sports Act 2007. Khairudin said the proposal would be brought to the state executive council for further discussion and refinement before being considered for the 2027 state budget.
Wanita PKR secretary Sangetha Jayakumar urged the executive council to set a minimum eligible age of 18. Applicants should be required to show proof they completed or are completing secondary education to qualify.
Without an age limit, families facing economic strain might be encouraged to marry off their daughters earlier, she said. “Financial hardship is already a documented driver of underage marriage in Malaysia,” she said in a statement.
Sangetha said that while Selangor and Kedah have set 18 as the minimum age for women to get married, but Perak had not done so. The state had a history of underage marriage, which led to girls dropping out of school, she said. - FMT
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