KUALA TERENGGANU: Smelly body odour, humdrum sex and boring pyjamas are behind the high divorce rate in the state and the government is scrambling to find ways to improve sexual relations, especially for newly wed couples.

Top on its list of proposals is to invite cosmetic firms to introduce exotic and sensuous fragrances which can arouse sexual ardour.

State Religious and Information committee deputy chairman Muhammad Ramli Nuh believes that this effort could slow the divorce rate among young couples.

He told The Star Sunday that at least three in every ten marriages registered in the state ended in divorce.

He added that separations were now common among couples aged between 25 and 30 years.

Muhammad Ramli said that couples who had been married for less than five years but already on the verge of separation told counsellors that routine sex and smelly body odour were the main reasons behind their break up.

He said he was bewildered that some couples even blamed their spouses for old-fashioned pyjamas - sarong and t-shirt - body odour during intimate moments made their sex life monotonous or turned them completely off.

"I know of one case where a separation was triggered because the spouse smelled of fish crackers," he said.

Hence, Muhammad Ramli said the state government through state Family Development Board was welcoming cosmetic firms to introduce special perfumes to be used by such couples that could sustain relationships till death do them part.

He said the state government was also looking for beauty consultants to provide grooming and aesthetic workshops for couples in the state.

The workshop is not only intended for the wives but to provide tips to men on how to be attractive to their spouse, he said.

He said the state government had already engaged marriage consultants to arbitrate between feuding couples with a view to reconciling them.

"But then we have to look into the finer details on the actual cause that triggers divorce; if they are smells and dressing, we should find an appropriate solution to address this and save marriages in the state," he said.

Muhammad Ramli said he had also suggested that couples to bathe together to make their relationship more exciting.

"I met this elderly couple in Kelantan. Both of them bathe together although they are grandparents and enjoy a blissful marriage.

"This is why I mooted the idea that this method be introduced as part of pre-marriage courses conducted in the state," he added.