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Wednesday November 5, 2008

An insult to single mothers


I AM utterly disgusted by the report “Malacca may give RM1,000 to men who take them as second wives” (The Star, Nov 1).

The move is tantamount to selling off a single mother for the price of a mere RM1,000.

I lost my father when I was four months old. My mum was never that desperate that she wished to re-marry. To me, she is the greatest mum in the world. She is tough, kind, patient and determined.

Needless to say, my mum was very disappointed with the report.

The decision by the Malacca Government is an insult to all single mums, especially those living in Malacca. They perceive every single mother is desperate to re-marry. And this move will only encourage polygamy among men in Malacca.

The Malacca Government may have good intentions in making the suggestion but it must understand that single mothers are not stocks that can simply be sold off.

Single mothers, just like everyone out there, have dignity. What single mothers really want is to live a quiet life and bring up their children well so that they will eventually be able to take good care of her.

I truly believe that single mums are tougher and I urge the Malacca Government to seriously re-consider the move.

There are more hard-pressed matters to focus on during this time of recession. If the Malacca Government has so much money, why not give the RM1,000 or more directly to all the single mums in Malacca?

CHUAH PING SHIEN,
Kuala Lumpur.

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