Baznas holds
mass marriage for 349 couples
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Jakarta | Sun,
July 15 2012, 8:04 PM
A newlywed couple wearing traditional wedding
outfits poses between ondel-ondel (traditional Betawi effigies) during a mass
wedding ceremony at Silang Monas in Central Jakarta on Sunday. The mass
wedding, which married 349 couples and broke a national record for the largest
wedding podium, was hosted by the National Alms Agency. (Antara/Puspa
Perwitasari)
The government-sanctioned National Alms Agency
(Baznas) held a mass marriage of 349 underprivileged couples at the Silang
Monas area in Central Jakarta on Sunday.
Baznas chairman Didin Hafiduddin said that
most of the couples had only conducted nikah siri (Islamic religious
marriages unregistered with the state) since they were unable to pay for
wedding certificates.
The official rate for wedding certificates is
Rp 85,000 (US$8.99).
“We gathered as many as 349 couples to perform
legal marriages so they were able to get their wedding documents,” he said as
quoted by Antara news agency.
“With marriage certificates, their children
can enter schools and eventually increase the family’s economic status. We
consider this program a way to eradicate poverty.”
The youngest participant was Liawati, 17,
while the oldest was 70 years old.
Liawati actually tied the knot two years ago
with Ti’an, 28, a cardboard collector from Bekasi, West Java.
“At that time, I didn’t have an ID card yet.
Now there is this mass marriage ceremony, we wanted to participate,” she said.
Law No. 1/1974 on marriage stipulates that a
bride should be at least 16 years old and a groom should be at least 19 years
old to be legally married. Those under 21 years old should also get permission
from their parents.
Liawati expected the wedding certificates
would make it easier to get birth certificates for their future children.
Parents who fail to register their marriages
with the state cannot apply for birth certificates for their children, making
it difficult for their children to get formal education.
Endang and his wife Juju face this exact
problem. Married according to Islamic religious rules in 1980, the couple now
has 4 children who do not have birth certificates yet.
Juju said the absence of wedding certificates
had also prohibited her husband from being promoted as a civil servant despite
having worked for 30 years at the Animal Husbandry Research Center in Bogor,
West Java.
The mass wedding ceremony was held by Baznas
in cooperation with the Jakarta city administration, JakTV and BRI Syariah to
welcome the Islamic fasting month of Ramadhan, which will start next weekend.
The ceremony was recognized by the Indonesian
Records Museum (MURI) for having the longest pelaminan (wedding podium)
in national history at 325 meters.
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