Kosmo! reported the worrying trend of young Muslim couples being in debt after taking personal banks loans of between RM50,000 to RM85,000 to get married.
Harun, 25, from Shah Alam, took a RM85,000 loan to get married early last year.
“I was determined to take a loan after calculating that the dowry, cash offering and cost of the wedding ceremony and reception amounted to more than RM60,000,” he said, adding that he was forced to borrow as he had recently graduated and did not save up for his marriage.
Another fellow debtor is 32-year-old civil servant Amran from Johor Baru who took a RM50,000 loan to get married five years ago.
He said he took the loan for a large dowry and lavish wedding reception as his wife was from a well-to-do family.
Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Rohani Abdul Karim advised young couples to budget for their weddings according to their means, adding that those wishing to marry can participate in the ministry’s Smart-Start Pre-Marriage programme for guidance on efforts to set up a home.
> A Hari Raya Instagram photograph of Datuk Siti Nurhaliza posing with Tengku Zawiyah, the former wife of Siti’s husband, Datuk Seri Khalid Mohd Jiwa, and her stepson Asyraf, has quelled talk of a strained relationship between the two women.
“My husband (Khalid) wanted to visit his ex-mother-in-law who was also there. I have visited her on several occasions,” she told Berita Harian.
– THE STAR
