Government to consider lifting ban on polygamy

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Religious Affairs Tolchah Hasan said on Monday that he would consider demands to end a ban on polygamy for civil servants which has been in force since the 1970s.

"If the proposal reflects the aspirations of the people, then the government will welcome it," Tolchah was quoted by Antara as saying, responding to an appeal by United Islam (Persis) at its congress which ended in Jakarta on Monday.

The government regulation against polygamy, popularly known as PP10, states that a civil servant must seek the approval of his superior before he can take a second wife. The rule further states that such an approval would only be forthcoming if the first wife approved the idea in the first place.

Islam allows a man to have up to four wives under very strict conditions, including the ability to act and provide for fairly among the wives and only with the consent of the first wives.

When PP10 was introduced, it was intended to supplement protection for women in the face of possible abuses by a husband who wanted to take a second wife. The regulation was supported by then first lady Mrs. Tien Soeharto and widely opposed by Muslim organizations.

Persis chairman Siddiq Amien said PP10 contravened Islamic teachings and that it had led to a greater incidence of extramarital affairs in society.

"Prostitution and adultery have become widespread because of the ban against men who have the ability to marry again," he was quoted by Antara as saying.

Some logically turned to vice for compensation, he argued.

Siddiq, who heads the Benda pesantren (Muslim boarding school) in Tasikmalaya, West Java, said as long as PP10 remained in force, the number of people visiting brothels would not decline.

He said in Islam, the word "fair" did not mean "giving equal treatment" to all the wives, but "to act in a proportional manner".

"People have different needs. The ones in the city have different needs from the ones in the rural areas," he said. (emb)