Getting bedded

I have a rather sensitive subject to broach today. It is a subject that most people will prefer to keep silent and the less people that knows about it, the better.

Hey… I’m referring to infidelity and illegitimacy.

There are some non-Muslims who think they can get away with having more than one family. One is of course a legal marriage while the others are obviously not.

I do remember the tale of a man who used to travel up and down between Ipoh and Kuala Lumpur. Four days of the week would be spent in KL with his unmarried partner and illegitimate child and the other three days in Ipoh with his legal wife and children.

He was the perfect family man and the women in his life had no reason to think that he was a two-timer and wasn’t a dedicated husband.

Unfortunately, neither of the two women knew of the man’s double life until he passed away one day in a motor accident. Needless to say, they were shocked. And after the shock was over, the repercussions that followed when it came to dividing his estate. The man, of some considerable means, did not write a Will so his estate fell under the Distribution Act 1958 (amended 1997).

Naturally, after a long wrangling in court, his legal family won and his other family – partner and child – was left out in the cold with nothing.

Family feuds aside, the outcome of the man’s death could have had a more satisfactory ending if he had been more responsible … more responsible with his driving habits as well as more responsible in the way he ran his life.

He could’ve drawn up a Trust Deed to leave some of his assets to his partner and child in KL. He also could’ve drawn up a Will to provide similarly for his wife, other partner and children. But, for a person of his means, he did not.

It is quite unfortunate that some people cannot see beyond the present. A Will or a Trust can help resolve or cut short many contentious issues when a person dies. When you have a partner or child outside a legal marriage, the more you need such services to help them. The same goes with step-children from a previous marriage who have not been legally adopted.

Does responsibility to your loved ones end when both eyes are shut? If you are responsible enough, you will want to rest assured (sic) that their lives can go on as close to normal as possible when you are no longer around. Doesn’t it prick your conscience? Leaving specific instructions on this matter will ensure that your legacy lives on warmly in their hearts.