Gerakan: End inter-faith custody battles for good

Youth deputy chief Andy Yong wants inter-faith custody battles to be resolved permanently at the next Parliamentary session.

KUALA LUMPUR: Enough is enough, says Gerakan Youth deputy chief Andy Yong, who has called for an immediate resolution on inter-faith custody battles at next month’s Parliamentary session.

“Do it in the coming Parliament session. They already know what the problems are and the amendments required.

If they have the political will, the ultimate remedy will be to amend the constitution and relevant laws to put an end to this crisis,” he said in a report by Malaysiakini.

He noted that previous statements on the issue indicated a readiness to deal with the contentious matter, with even Syariah lawyers expressing their willingness to help.

This follows the announcement last week by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nancy Shukri that the government plans to amend three laws on child custody and property rights in cases involving a change of religion by one spouse.

These laws are namely; the Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act 1976, Administration of Islamic Law (Federal Territories) 1993, and Islamic Family Law (Federal Territories) 1984.

Yong noted that Nancy, the current de facto law minister, had said the welfare of children was paramount and that children should be allowed to choose their religion when they reach the age of majority.

Tourism and Culture Minister Nazri Aziz, once the de-facto law minister himself, said children of an estranged couple should remain in the religion of the parents at the point of their marriage.