Perlis' polygamy figures reject HKL's erectile dysfunction claim
home news
7/11/2001

KANGAR Nov 6 - The number of polygamy cases in Perlis, the highest in the country, indicates that most men in the state do not suffer from erectile dysfunction (ED), Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim said today.

He said a Kuala Lumpur Hospital (HKL) statement claiming that Perlis recorded the highest number of ED cases in the country was confusing as the polygamy rate in the state was also high.

"Definitely those with ED cannot commit themselves to polygamy," he told Bernama over the telephone from Kuala Lumpur.

Asked on the number of Perlis men practising polygamy, Shahidan said he did not have the exact statistics but maintained that the number was high.

In 1997, IKIM or the Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia reported that all applications for polygamy received from men in Perlis during the four years since 1993 were approved.

Shahidan expressed shock over the HKL report that 70 percent of the 743 men interviewed in a study on ED in Perlis admitted to suffering from the problem.

In Kangar yesterday Shahidan urged the Health Ministry to conduct a more comprehensive study to get the real picture of the ED problem in Perlis.

He said if there was basis to the HKL claim, the ED syndrome among Perlis' men was bound to cause marital problems among couples in the state.

Shahidan urged ED sufferers in the state to seek treatment, including herbal cure from the various types of herbs available in the Perlis Herbal Park.

"Women shouldn't be ashamed"
ADOPT the principle of no blame, no shame and no name.

That's what Women's Development Collective executive director Maria Chin Abdullah wants women to do.

"Women should not be ashamed if they don't want their babies," she said when responding to Weekend Mail's front page report on the rise of abandoned babies, especially in Selangor, Sarawak and Johor.

Chin said there were a lot of negative perceptions when a woman did not want their child.

The public, she said, should understand a woman's background before passing judgement.

"It's possible the woman cannot handle the baby or she had practised unsafe sex or has other children. We should stop blaming women."

"In some countries, if a woman doesn't want her baby, the mother will see it through until the child is adopted," said Chin.

She added that there should be a campaign allowing women to surrender their babies without having to reveal their identities.

On Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil's statement on having at least one trained counsellor in every family, Chin said it was not feasible.

"We should have counsellors by the population. It cannot be one to one. The Government should also focus on sex education and use the media to put forward more issues on abandoned babies."

"I conduct a lot of training programmes with youngsters and they do not seem to have a clear understanding of what sex is. That is why they experiment," said Chin.

She added that sex education should be a part of the education system.

All Women's Action Society executive director Honey Tan echoed Chin's views.

She said at the end of the day, the solution to problems like abandoned babies lies in education.

"Sex education is essential. Educators, including those responsible for setting up the national curriculum, should take a holistic approach where children are not just taught the biological aspects of sex but also about rights and responsibilities."

"They should be taught to consider carefully if they are ready to have sex and to respect their partners," she said.

Educating boys to respect girls is especially important. Boys should also be taught to take responsibility and face up to any consequences instead of leaving girls high and dry.

"We urge the Government to plug the loopholes in the law which allow men to escape responsibility for fathering children out of wedlock."

"Women in Malaysia cannot file paternity suits for maintenance because the law does not require men to give their DNA samples to prove paternity," said Tan.

Sisters in Islam programme manager Norhayati Kaprawi agreed with Shahrizat that women alone should not be blamed for abandoned babies.

"Instead of the judgmental and punitive approaches, what is needed is greater public awareness on the issue of sex and gender."

"We propose that biological fathers be made responsible. They should also provide maintenance for the children."

"Sex education should be introduced in schools and the media should also be fair and gender sensitive in covering such issues," said Norhayati.