In addressing the controversial issue raised during the TN50 (Transformation 2050) dialogue with women, held in conjunction with National Women’s Day, Najib said the government at present did not have the required two-thirds majority.
“(To push for the unilateral conversion ban) I would need to amend the constitution of the country.
“But I do not have the two-thirds majority (to do that),” he said in his closing remarks at the dialogue.
Earlier, the National Council for Women’s Organisations (NCWO) secretary-general Omna Sreeni-Ong urged the government to include Section 88A(1) in the Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act 2016, and to table and pass it at the next Parliament sitting.
“We need to make changes now when it comes to gender equality. There are urgent and critical issues to be addressed to ensure women are free from all direct and indirect forms of discrimination.
“These issues include sexual harassment, a lack of women’s voices in Parliament, child marriages, and children born out of wedlock.
“In particular, we would like Section 88A(1) of the LRA to be accepted at the next Parliament sitting,” she said.
A new provision in the law under Section 88A(1) states that if a parent converts to Islam, the religion of the children remains the same unless both parents have agreed to the conversion of their children.
However, the bill was withdrawn after the government said Section 88A(1) might go against the spirit of the Federal Constitution.
Opposition parties meanwhile stated that if the government wanted to change the law on unilateral conversions, it should discuss the matter with them.
DAP parliamentary whip Anthony Loke said the government should consult the opposition before letting its “unfounded” concerns affect efforts to ban unilateral child conversions.
“The government never came to discuss this matter with us. I think on issues that are for the good of the people, we can discuss.
“That is not a problem for DAP.”
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