Polygamy part of culture

Letters

POLYGAMOUS marriages happen in the custom-oriented societies in the world.
Polygamy is the practice of marrying multiple spouses.
Papua New Guinea is no exception.
It is an accepted norm where a man can marry more than one wife.
There are no restrictions in the law.
In the West, it is strictly monogamy, which means one husband for one wife.
Marrying more than one wife is a crime of bigamy.
There are strict rules regarding marriages in countries such as Australia, the United States of America and the United Kingdom.
Polygamy is alien to the West.
If someone wants to remarry, that person has to divorce the first wife or husband first.
In PNG, the sons and daughters of first, second, third, wives are all considered legitimate.
Properties can be willed away depending on the father’s discretion.
Polygamous marriage is a part of PNG custom.
It forms part of the underlying laws where the constitution recognises it as a good practice.
Therefore, the practice of polygamy is allowed.
The Law Reform Commission can make a submission to Parliament recommending polygamy as a crime.
The legislature can codify it into a criminal law for that matter and arrest those big shots with more than one wives.
The Government has amended the marriage laws last year, giving equal rights in property distribution in an event of a divorce.

James Litai,
Wabag