PUTRAJAYA, MALAYSIA - It is absurd and cruel for PAS elected representatives to take an oath to divorce their wives should they want to jump party, said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Jamil Khir Baharom.

He said such an act could destroy the family institution which is abhorred in Islam.

"Divorce is not a trivial matter that can be put at stake just to prove one's loyalty to a political party.

"This is an abuse and cruelty towards innocent parties. Islam abhors cruelty and abuse," he told reporters yesterday.

Jamil Khir was commenting on a news report quoting PAS Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad as saying that all elected representatives from the Islamist party had vowed that they would divorce their wives with talak tiga if they quit or jump party.

(A man who divorces his wife with talak tiga has no chance for reconciliation unless she marries and divorces another man first.)

Khalid had said that that way no PAS representative would jump party because they appreciated their wives and families.

Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Jalil condemned the move, saying that the act was not only cruel but also selfish.

"This is ridiculous and shouldn't be happening to Muslim women and children," she said.

Also read: Dr M joins others in hitting out at loyalty oath

--The Star/ANN