Recently, in the Straits Times, a man named Ong Kean Hin, wrote about legalising polygamy as a solution to boost birth rates. I was so shocked by that news! Oh my goodness! And i was later happy to see that a lot of people were not at all treating the suggestion seriously. There were a lot of comments givne in forums and newspaper, which were very sarcastic.
One said:
“What an audacious suggestion. In that same sentiment, let women also have two spouses (better still, one in every port!) so she can carry children of every culture and create our own version of the United Nations. Talk about globalisation taking on a new meaning!”
Ong Kean Hin suggested this: “1 S’pore wife + 1 foreign wife = more babies” And so there was a comment posted by this lady from the foreign wife’s perspective:
“The writer’s proposal is based on the assumption that the foreign wife will be meek and submissive. As a woman, I am not convinced that this is a win-win proposal. In fact, I foresee more marital problems in such a polygamous household, due to the uneven distribution of responsibility.”
When you look at the forums of some JCs that discuss this issue, you would be surprised at the level of sarcasm expressed. Let’s see…
“Now, let me develop the idea 1 step further: what if we combine the 2 concepts (discussed above) together? ie not only lift the restriction of 1 man-1 woman in a marriage, but also the restriction that there can only be 1 man or woman in a polygamous marriage! Then you end up with several men-several women in a single marriage! Hmm …… sounds like a legalised sex cult, doesn’t it? :-)”
“First Polygamy.
Second Multiple Combination.
Third, Dogs and Cats can inherit wealth.
How about 19 men married 4 rich Cats.
23 women married 8 rich dogs.
Then they married each other.
(19m + 4c) + (23w + 8D)
Who is next?”
“But it’ll be chaotic.
Who knows who your father is?
A family tree is impossible.
Not to ention:
“Dad!”
“Yes?””Yes?””Yes?””Yes?””Yes?””Yes?””Yes?””Yes?””Yes?””Yes?”etc.
It’s a question but i seriously do not think polygamy will work if combined.”
What else? You would be shocked. Mr Lee Kuan Yew himself suggested polygamy as a solution in his speech in 1986.:
“In closing, he addressed the issue of the dangerously declining birth rate and he suggested that it was erroneous to follow the West in being monogamous and a shift has to be made to steer Singapore away from the disastrous consequences ahead. He recommended polygamy as the solution, for correcting the declining birth rate, for dealing with the problem of the increasing number of unmarried women, for nation building and more…”
I know that there are countries in which polygamy is legalised. Even in the history, and religious texts polygamy was present. Sources state that even Jesus himself was polygamous. Pandava brothers also had only one wife. But recommending polygamy in such a conservative society like Singapore is a bit far-fetched. The whole concept is something that wants to enslave women. I mean, no women would want to be dominated by a man and the reverse is also true. By reverse, i mean that no men would want to be dominated by a woman. Dividing the roles of women into two, like one for having the babies and the other for earning the money, is simply not realistic. The other proposal in terms of the women, one husband for looking after the baby and the other to bring home the bacon, is also stupid. But i think that there is nothing wrong in polygamy if everyone in the family have equal roles and are happy to live in that way. The views expressed above are just a bit twisted.
Anyway, i’m so happy today that exams are finally over. Now i can relax for a while. Went out with my best friends today and had pizza! It was good but not like pizza hut. Then later we had Kesari. What a combination! Pizza with Kesari as a desert. Superb!!:)
Priya Jayagopi 