TAWAU: Fifty-two couples had their marriages solemnised in Tawau late Tuesday night, only half an hour before the 14-day second movement control order (MCO) came into force today.
Tawau branch of Sabah Islamic Religious Affairs Department (JHEAINS) officer Kahar Sundu said the marriage solemnisation of the couples were conducted by six ‘jurunikah’ or marriage officials and the entire process was completed at 11.30 pm at the JHEAINS Office in Jalan Kuhara here.
Kahar said realising that many couples had applied to be solemnised during the MCO period, the Tawau JHEAINS had taken the initiative to offer them the opportunity to do it earlier.
“During the MCO, all matters relating to marriage are postponed, except for administrative work. So, I asked the marriage officials to contact the couples and 90 per cent of them accepted the offer and came for the solemnisation process,” he said when met at the office on Tuesday night.
He said the couples were mostly under the age of 30 and they were present at the office along with their guardians (wali).
One of the grooms, Muhamad Afif Afendi, 24, said his marriage with Nur Farahin Bahar, 25, was initially scheduled to be solemnised on Jan 23, but they were grateful enough that the process had been eased and done on Tuesday night.
“We were frustrated at first when we learned that the ceremony may have to be postponed due to the MCO, but when JHEAINS contacted us about this initiative, we were more than happy to do it,” he said, adding that the wedding reception would be held after the MCO is lifted.
Meanwhile, Jupidah Muhammad Zin, 27, and her spouse Muhammad Hafiz Sedding, 26, were also grateful to have their marriage solemnised before the MCO, rather than to be postponed to an unknown date.
“With the advice from our families, we decided to go ahead with it even without proper preparations,” she said.
Last Monday, the government announced the re-implementation of the MCO on six states Sabah, Selangor, Melaka, Penang, Johor and Federal Territories (Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan) from Jan 13 to 26. – Bernama