Foreign men wishing to wed Muslim women should put a $55,000 "security guarantee" into the bank, which is part of a marriage-law reform being pushed by Muslim conservatives。
The proposal only applies to Muslim women, not to Christians or Buddhists or Hindus. If the couple divorce, the wife will be entitled to the money, if they are able to stick together for at least 10 years, the amount can be claimed as 'shared property'。
"The provision is intended to protect the rights of women and their children if their husbands neglect, fail to provide for, leave Indonesia secretly, divorce or do anything which harms their interests," the bill says。
However, lovers are outraged。
"How ridiculous...the government wants to sell me off," sniffed 36-year-old Roslina, who is planning to tie the knot with her German boyfriend, Christopher, in September。
A 24-year-old model who declined to be named said she and her boyfriend, also from Germany, were being unfairly discriminated against. "It looks like the government has no respect for Indonesian women. Why not charge local men who marry three or four wives but can't afford it?" she said. "We'll definitely marry abroad if this becomes law."
The proposal will be sent to parliament for approval by the end of the year, an official said。