Minister Azalina Othman Said said this at the beginning of the Dewan Rakyat sitting today.
“Under Standing Order 62, I withdraw the Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Amendment 2016, as stated under number 10 of the Order Paper,” she said.
The bill, which was presented last November, was initially expected to be debated at this sitting.
It aimed to resolve conflicts arising from the interfaith custody battle between Muslim and non-Muslim parents.
It followed several cases of custody battles that went to the courts when one spouse converted the child without the consent of the other, causing trauma for all parties, especially young children.
The amendments included a new provision in regards to the religion of the child, with Section 88A(1) stating that if a parent converts to Islam, the religion of the children remains the same unless both parents agree to the conversion of their children.
This followed Prime Minister Najib Razak’s announcement in May last year that the government aimed to resolve grievances between Muslim converts and their non-Muslim spouses over the religion of their child.