DIVORCES DUE TO HUSBANDS HAVING AFFAIRS OVERSEAS

Mr Low Thia Khiang asked the Acting Minister for Community Development whether he is aware of any divorces due to husbands having an affair overseas and whether this will become a trend in the future.

The Acting Minister for Community Development (Mr Abdullah Tarmugi): Mr Speaker, Sir, I am aware of the concerns expressed by individuals and groups on husbands having affairs while overseas. These issues have been highlighted in our local newspapers and in a recent dialogue session held by the Feedback Unit of my Ministry.

Unfortunately, Sir, I do not have information on the number of divorces due to husbands having affairs overseas. Therefore, I cannot tell whether husbands having affairs when they are abroad will become a trend in the future. My hope is that the instances quoted in the press and by others are more the exception than the rule.

Statistics, however, do show that the number of divorces granted on grounds of adultery is small in Singapore. In 1993, for example, such cases accounted for only 4.3% (or 113 cases) of the 2,602 divorces granted under the Women's Charter.

Sir, I believe that strong family, religious and moral values serve as a powerful ballast against temptations. Ways should also be found for wives to accompany their husbands who have to work or do business abroad for long periods. Wives who are willing to do so would find that their marriages would be reinforced by their shared experience in less familiar places. In the final analysis, the success of a marriage and the well-being of the family depends on the commitment and desire of the couple to make their marriage work and to keep their family intact.