Many Hindu, Buddhist marriages illegitimate<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Many marriages among Hindu and Buddhist
\ncommunities in Indonesia may be illegitimate because they are not
\nlisted with the civil registry office, an official of the
\nMinistry of Religious Affairs said.<\/p>\n
\"They have no marriage certificates which are important and a
\nmust for every married couple in this country,\" I Gusti Agung
\nKade Suthayasa of the Directorate General for the Guidance for
\nHindu and Buddhists, told reporters on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Although these couples were married in their local temples,
\nthe absence of any legal document could have strong repercussions
\non their rights and those of their children.<\/p>\n
Suthayasa said many Buddhist and Hindu couples cannot register
\nbecause their local civil registry offices do not employ priests
\nfrom their respective religion who can perform the wedding.<\/p>\n
This, he said, is a common problem in most areas except in big
\ncities like Jakarta and in Bali, a predominantly Hindu island.<\/p>\n
He blamed the problem on the red tape involved in recruiting
\nHindu and Buddhist priests for the civil registry offices, which
\nare supervised by the provincial administrations and therefore
\ncome under the aegis of the Ministry of Home Affairs.<\/p>\n
Suthayasa said that in many cases, the councils for the two
\nreligions -- Hindu's Parisada and Buddhist's Walubi -- have
\nproposed their candidates to the provincial administrations for
\nthe job, but their appointments were delayed. The fastest an
\napplication can be processed is one year, he added.<\/p>\n
As a result, many Hindus and Buddhists only go through the
\nreligious rituals for the marriage, he said.<\/p>\n
The problem emerged with the enactment of a law on marriages
\nin 1974 which required non-Moslems to register with their local
\ncivil registry office to have their marriage validated.<\/p>\n
In contrast, Moslems are required to register with the local
\nReligious Affairs Offices which are established in every
\ndistrict. (01)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/many-hindu-buddhist-marriages-illegitimate-1447893297",
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