Thumbs up for more children…?
Not for the first time, the Malaysian parliament was all abuzz last Tuesday (Oct 15) after a PAS lawmaker had audaciously proposed that the Madani government should start looking into ways to accord national recognition to women who give birth as a means to boost fertility rates in the country.
The Islamist party’s Tumpat MP Mumtaz Nawi then went on to “school” the honourable members of parliament in the Dewan Rakyat, including some who might have been shell shocked, that the granting of such prestigious awards is currently being practised in Mongolia (a name which is sure to ring a bell with most Malaysians).
Then, delving deeper into the controversial subject, Mumtaz explained that in Mongolia for many decades now women who bore six or more kids are accorded a medal called the “First Order of Glorious Motherhood” and given RM253 yearly, while those with four kids are awarded the “Second Order of Glorious Motherhood” and receive RM126 annually; however, the PAS MP did not elaborate on the type of honour to be bestowed on those who would qualify locally, though the honorific that immediately springs to mind is PJK (Pingat Jasa Kebaktian).
For the record, last July, Nancy Shukri, the country’s Women, Family and Community Development Minister had cited the Statistics Department's 2023 Report, which stated that Malaysia's total fertility rate (TFR) had declined from 2.1 children per female in 2010 to 1.6 children per female in 2022. It was indeed a sharp drop!
She added that there were various factors contributing to the TFR decline, including economic factors and lifestyle choices that influence decisions regarding marriage age and family size while infertility issues also play a part in the declining rate.
However, the minister pointed out that this phenomenon was not unique to Malaysia alone as based on United Nations projections, several countries in the Asia-Pacific region, including Japan, Australia, Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand, have also reported very low fertility rates that fell below the replacement level.
Interestingly, earlier in a Facebook post, Bayan Baru MP Sim Tze Tzin had sent out a personal plea to the Chinese community in this country to consider tying the knot; he underlined the importance of marriage for both individuals and the society at large, while adding that lower marriage rates would inevitably translate to lower fertility rates not just among the Chinese - but the nation as a whole!
Sharing available official statistics on marriage rates among different ethnic groups in Malaysia, the DAP MP had highlighted that the Bumiputera marriage rate had increased by a whopping 47%, from 10.9 per 1000 people in 2016 to 16.0 in 2022, while for the same period the Indian community’s marriage rate had decreased marginally by 9%; however, alarmingly, according to Sim, the demographic with the lowest rate was the Chinese which recorded a significant drop of 33%!
Not surprisingly, economic factors including career-related issues are believed to be among the reasons for the low fertility rates, especially among the Chinese, who are concentrated mostly in the urban and semi-urban areas where the cost of living is high; but with rapid urbanisation in the country won’t these same factors take their toll on the other communities too?
How Much Does It Roughly Cost To Have A Baby In Malaysia?
Meanwhile, more recently in August 2024, based on a report produced by AIA Bhd, the estimated cost to raise just a single kid in this country can be anything between a staggering RM400,000 to RM1.1 million; now, imagine the total cost for six kids?
The figure quoted takes into account the total expenses for food, clothing, education, hobbies, healthcare, entertainment and caretakers as well as the cost of delivering the baby plus schooling expenses and all the way to university fees.
Considering all these, the suggestion to increase the nation's fertility rate, although it may be a noble idea, requires careful thought; most importantly, can this country cope with a high fertility rate (total birth per woman) which incidentally is more synonymous with some of the poorer nations from the African continent such as Niger, Chad, Somalia and Mali, all of which reportedly average around six berths per woman? Is PAS really serious about Malaysia joining this “exclusive” club?
Did the PAS MP get her maths right…?
Coming back to the MP’s “fixation” with Mongolia, what many may ask is: was it appropriate in the first place? Size-wise, isn't the country several times bigger than Malaysia, and isn't it made up of a homogenous society with a meagre population of around 3.5 million people; and moreover, with a totally different socioeconomic setting?
Furthermore, shouldn't any discourse by lawmakers on increasing fertility rates also take into account other ensuing problems such as overpopulation which may precipitate the rise in the poverty level in the country?
In fact, as it is, isn't Malaysia already grappling with social issues such as teen pregnancies, incest, baby dumping and the rise in drug addiction and criminal activities among the youth? And isn't the proliferation of welfare homes in the country another warning sign?
Moreover, the reality is that raising children involves a great deal of commitment, time and costs? With most youths now dependant on gig jobs, including eking out a living as delivery riders with irregular working hours, can they afford to raise and give a quality life to even one child - let alone six children?
The bottom line is, instead of focusing on fertility rates, and on how to incentivise womenfolk to be more “productive” in increasing the human headcount here, shouldn’t elected lawmakers be actively addressing issues related to “economic productivity” and ways to enhance household income in the country? In short, shouldn't the goal be to provide a safe, wholesome and a better quality of life for all its citizens especially its children?
Information source: Malaysiakini, WeirdKaya, Star, iMoney, Statista.com and Worldometer
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