Terengganu offers free honeymoons to couples bent on divorce

The headline itself was interesting but on further reading I was most perplexed by the sentence “but it is unacceptable for those married for more than two decades to file for divorce”. Why is it unacceptable? The fact that being married for such a long time is not a guarantee of a happy ever after ending. The long period together in a marriage is just that. A long period.

I'm sure the couple had tried on their own accord to find solutions to their problems and if divorce is the best solution, so be it. No amount of counseling or free honeymoons would save that marriage. We can only wish and hope that the couple will go through the divorce process in a civil manner with as little recrimination between both parties.

Que sera sera.

The full report in the online edition of the Star of 12 October 2009:

T’ganu offers free honeymoons to couples bent on divorce
By R S N MURALI

KUALA TERENGGANU:
A free second honeymoon trip awaits any Terengganu married couple on the brink of breakup. The state will pay for it.
However, the honeymoon package comes with some counselling.
The aim is to bring peace between feuding couples and check the reportedly soaring divorce rates in the state.
The honeymoon packages would be launched by the end of the year after specific modules were incorporated that would to help husband and wife to turn back to each and stay married, said State Welfare, Community Development and Women Affairs committee chairman Ashaari Idris on Monday.
The programme would be jointly implemented by the state government and the Family and Community Development Council.
He said the state done a pilot project where 25 couples facing marital woes were selected for the honeymoon package. They spend three days and two nights away from home at a cost of under RM1,500 per couple.
The outcome was positive, he said without giving details as to the number of marriages saved. When the love between couples starts to turn sour, normal counselling would be provided. But only those on the brink of separation or divorce would be offered the second honeymoon, Ashaari said.
Some of the marriages that had now hit the rocks have actually lasted up to two decades, he said.
“We can understand newly-weds having problems understanding one another where a slight skirmish could lead to a separation but it is unacceptable for those married for more than two decades to file for divorce.
“With this package, we hope the couples will treasure their marital ties and avoid separations,” he added.

Hope of coming home to serve country dashed

It looks as if Malaysia is the only country in the world that I know of at present, who does not want her sons back despite the qualifications they have attained. Just read the following letter to the editor which appeared in the Sunday Star of 11 October 2009.

"Hope of coming home to serve country dashed

I AM almost completing the Graduate Diploma in Education at the University of Western Australia and have been looking forward to serving the country.

I completed my undergraduate Science degree in USM Penang and opted for an internationally recognised teaching qualification for security purposes.

I recently applied online on the Education Ministry’s website for the position of Guru Sandaran Terlatih and have been regularly checking the site for updates after I found it difficult to speak directly to a person about my circumstances.

When I finally managed to speak to an officer from the ministry last week, he informed me that the route to a permanent post is via an initial probationary period subject to confirmation, and that it was the same for teaching students from public and private colleges.

He, however, could not offer me more information and suggested I call back at another time. I later spoke to someone else in the office about the process and she told me that I would need to have my qualifications recognised by the JPA before I could be granted an interview. But she did not know what should be done after obtaining the JPA recognition.

Anyway, I called JPA and was curtly told that my qualifications are not recognised, never mind that it is internationally recognised. I was too distraught to proceed with further questions like where should I go from here, etc.

I do not mean to sound pompous, but my reports and academic results have been outstanding and I have even been offered a teaching position overseas. I declined because I wanted to come home to serve my country.

To be presented with such news is both disappointing and shocking. I guess I can still apply to local private schools but my desire is to make a positive difference in the public education system – a system that I am proudly a product of.

Now I need to figure out what to tell my parents who have funded this course with their life savings. I know I will be faulted for not finding this out before enrolling but really, who would have thought that an internationally recognised qualification is not recognised in Malaysia? Needless to say, I am disillusioned and extremely disappointed that my qualifications and big dreams have no place in Malaysia. Do we even need to wonder why young people are forced out of their own country?

DISILLUSIONED,
Australia."