MELAKA: Though newlyweds Chong Chen Fatt and Bong Huey Yee are eager to start a family, they are holding off plans for now because of financial factors.
“We’d love to have children soon but my wife and I want to make sure our kids will have the best possible life,” said Chong, 33, a real estate agent.
“So, we have decided to wait till we are are truly financially sound before having kids.”
Chong and 24-year-old Bong, both from Bukit Katil here, tied the knot last month. Bong works as an administrative executive.
“We feel that we must secure a bright future for our kids before bringing them to this world,” he said.
Also adopting a pragmatic approach when it comes to childbearing is Vennesa Ching, 31, from Cheng here.
The sales manager has been married for two years but is putting parenthood on the back burner as she tries to save more money.
“I want to make sure that my children have tertiary education, what with the demands of a fast-changing world,” she said, adding that her 36-year-old husband, also a sales manager, is willing to wait till they are ready before starting a family.
The two couples are among locals who stand to benefit from an initiative by the Melaka Eng Choon Association to reward new parents with RM100 a month for a year starting from Jan 1.
The recently launched “Eng Choon Baby Plan” is aimed at encouraging childbirth by providing the monthly incentive for each newborn registered under the programme.
The association comprises members with roots to Eng Choon or Yongchun, a county in China’s southern Fujian province.
The association’s deputy president Datuk Wira Lee Shiann said in the case of twins, eligible members will get RM200 monthly.
It said the move is to help arrest the sharp decline in the Chinese population in the country for the past two decades.
Tang Li Chinn, who heads the education, college and youth affairs of the Federation of Chinese Associations Malaysia (Huazong), welcomed the effort by the association.
Noting that another Chinese association in Negri Sembilan has embarked on a similar move, Tang said he hopes that it will be extended to other states as well.
He called for comprehensive studies to evaluate the economic and cultural factors leading to the low fertility rate within the community.
“These associations should work with related stakeholders in the government to promote birth rates and provide more support for young couples in the early stages of starting a family,” he said.
Heng Leng Melaka Lion and Dragon Dance Association chairman Kent Tan Chow Teng said that “as someone actively engaged in social advocacy, I support these meaningful initiatives to a pressing issue”.
“Having a family today is undoubtedly more challenging than in previous generations,” said Tan, who is also a legal adviser to various Chinese-based associations here.
He said the rising cost of living, limited access to childcare and the growing demands of modern careers have hindered the family plans of many young couples.
“These challenges often lead to delayed marriages, smaller family sizes, or even decisions to remain child-free, which ultimately contribute to demographic stagnation,” he said.
Tan said efforts to increase the population, particularly within specific communities, are necessary and deserve support.
“However, these efforts must go beyond financial incentives and address the underlying societal and economic barriers that discourage family growth.
“Ultimately, while community-led initiatives like those of the Eng Choon Association are significant, addressing population challenges requires a comprehensive approach that combines grassroots efforts with robust, government-led policies,” he said.
