A widowed couple from Singapore decided to get secretly married in Batam, Indonesia to avoid losing their Housing and Development Board (HDB) flats.
The couple, a widow and a widower, each have an HDB flat in Singapore.
Per regulations, one of them would have had to give up their home if they were to register their marriage in Singapore.
The widower — who had lost his wife over 10 years ago — told Berita Harian that he and his new wife are both almost 60 years old.
They both also have many children and grandchildren from their first marriages.
While the widower reportedly has five children and three grandchildren, his wife has four children and four grandchildren.
“If we sell one of our flats, where would our many children and grandchildren live? So, the best way was to have a secret marriage to legalise our relationship while retaining our flats,” he added.
Source: Berita Harian
He also shared that they considered getting married in Narrathiwat, Thailand, but the cost was expensive, claiming that marriage syndicates in Thailand charged about S$863.
As a result, they chose to marry in Batam in early 2023.
The widower’s children were his witnesses during the ceremony, which was held in the Sekupang area in the morning and lasted 15 minutes.
They were then given a marriage certificate.
“We returned in the late afternoon on the last ferry after a brief honeymoon in Batam,” he said.
An anonymous Singaporean kadi — a Muslim judge or legal scholar who has the authority to officiate marriages — told Berita Harian that he had been approached by several Singaporean widow and widower couples to marry them secretly.
However, he said that he refused to be involved in such marriages.
The kadi shared that he rejected their requests because they refused to register with the Registry of Muslim Marriages (ROMM), saying it violated the country’s regulations.
“I don’t know where they go to get married. They might go to Thailand for secret marriages,” noted the kadi.
He also added that he was unsure about Batam offering such marriages.
“It is important to note that this type of marriage is not legally recognised in Singapore,” he said.
“The couples involved risk facing legal issues in the long run.”
Also read: Elderly S’pore Couple Gets Married After 40 Years In Intimate Ceremony At HDB Lift Lobb
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Featured image adapted from Berita Harian and Lombok Post, for illustration purposes only.
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