Malaysian lawmakers put marriages on line in oath

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – A party official says lawmakers in Malaysia's opposition Islamic party had to pledge they would divorce their spouses if they left the party and joined the ruling coalition.

The Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party asked candidates in March 2008 general elections in Selangor state to swear their allegiance on their marriages, party lawmaker Khalid Abdul Samad said.

Government lawmakers slammed the oath over the weekend as immoral, wrongly putting families on the line.

The Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party and its two opposition partners made unprecedented inroads in the elections.

The three-party alliance won more than a third of all parliamentary seats and five of 13 states, including Selangor.