Andrew Solomon Napuat

The Marriage Act amendment passed by the Parliament on Tuesday was a stand Vanuatu made to protect the sanctity of marriage.

Both sides of the Parliament have expressed their concern on the Bill for the Statute Law (Miscellaneous Provisions), with item 7 proposing an amendment to the Marriage Act [CAP 60].This amendment clarifies that marriage is the union of a male and female.

Minister of Internal Affairs, Andrew Napuat, explained that the law, as passed, stipulates that same sex marriage cannot be registered, as marriage is defined in the country’s constitution as being between a male and a female.

“When the law was passed today (Tuesday), it made clear the Government’s full intention, along with our leaders, that every pastor who performs marriage ceremonies must understand that they cannot conduct a ceremony that is against the law and expect it to be registered,” he said.

“As minister, I am signing to approve their names so they can officiate marriages. Let this serve as a notice that the government has decided: marriage is defined as being between a male and a female.

“If anyone conducts a marriage that does not follow the spirit of the law passed today and seeks our registration, his or her license will be revoked to prevent further marriages. This applies to religious, civil, or traditional ceremonies,” he said.

He said that they would like to send a message to all that Vanuatu is deciding that marriage as a sacred institution must be protected and marriage is define between a man and woman.

During debates, the former Prime Minister (PM) and Member of Parliament (MP) for Malekula, Sato Kilman, questioned that who will decide if a person is male or female, and how can you say a person is a male or female.

PM Charlot Salwai said: “When a person was born in the hospital, they’ve already been declared if they are male or female.

“The reason to make changes because they wanted to change themselves.”

Minister Andrew Napuat added that the reason why a country have birth registration is for when kids are born their details will be registered and their gender. “This is the true records we use to identify a person,” he said.

Pentecost MP Silas Bule said that birth certificate is the best record to identify if a person is female or male as well as the upbringing and mentoring of a child to whether male or female, and parents and teachers must teach the children well to a male of female path.

MP for Ambae, James Bule, said that many countries agrees with that but as for Vanuatu a Christian country, we should reduce the affect as it is. Marriage is between male and female, which is biblical. The outside world knows that we regulate it according to the law.

According to the Leader of Opposition, Gracia Shadrack, the preamble of the constitution of Vanuatu speaks loud and clear which state that the country was founded on traditional Melanesian, Faith in God and Christian Principles.

“The preamble of the constitution set up the standard of morality where we the leaders should decide where the country will walk to in the future,” he said.

Source: Vanuatu Daily Post