Ban polygamy as one of the ways of fighting divorce rates

By Daily Revelation Editor

President Hakainde Hichilema talked about the alarming divorce cases in the country and urged the Church to invest more into pre-marital counselling to help stem the same.

We agree with Hakainde and that the Church and society will need to employ more effort in addressing these frightening levels. However, we feel that alone will not be able to address the problem because as with anything to do with man, one’s character determines who each person is and what they are capable or not capable of doing.

It all starts from the beginning first of all, as in the two people intending to get married appreciating each other before deciding to take on this next step. Some marriages break up quickly because some have married out of peer pressure and the demands of their friends, families and society to marry, even when they were not ready to do so. Marrying should be more to do with one’s state of mind to want to marry and not because of their age and other pressures. Just because your age-mate has gotten married doesn’t mean you too must marry.

When you marry because you were pressured, that should already send warning signs about the longevity of the institution you are getting into.

Others also get into marriage because they have different expectations of the marriage they are getting into, but seeing that their expectations are not being met once married, they decide to end their marriages prematurely. Others divorce because of failing to open up on their finances and other wealth assets to their partners. This should not be so because when people marry it is assumed that whatever belongs to the husband also belongs to the wife and vice versa. For others the strain of lack of finances and joblessness especially on the part of the male counterpart will lead to a divorce. Yes, things are tough, but in doing one or two things at least one will be able to find some Kwacha note or coin somewhere rather than just sitting and waiting for manna from heaven. In short, those who get into marriage should push themselves to work extra hard for their partners and families, especially the male counterparts.

But the one major issue causing divorces right now is the escalation in marital unfaithfulness. Majority of marriages are breaking down on this score alone where partners simply fail to remain faithful to each other. This ends up bringing untold misery in a home materially, sexually, health wise and so forth. We feel that there should be harsher penalties imposed on the partner causing marital dissolution on account of faithfulness. And there should also be harsher penalties imposed on the males and females who come in to interfere in the marriage of two people. The affected spouse is urged to sue the one interfering in their marriage and the courts should impose harsher penalties on those found wanting in order to send a message to other would-be offenders. Because why would one marry if they know they can’t be faithful to one partner? This is the more reason we are arguing that one’s character has a huge role to play in the sustenance of any marriage.

In the same vein we are urging the President and the administration and the lawmakers to move beyond just condemning these marriage breakages but to come up with practical and bold moves such as banning polygamy in the country. As a country where a President is always appearing before Parliament every year to address the nation on national values and morals, it is a serious oversight that ending polygamy in the country has not been put right and center in the whole scheme of things. Please end polygamy in the country.