Malaysian men with four wives reveals secret of blissful polygamy

KUALA LUMPUR - It seems nothing can shake off a 60 year-old Malaysian man’s strong belief in the institution of marriage, who is living with his four wife and children under one roof-happily.

The husband-of-four in the Arifin household said that it is possible for everyone to manage so well.

“Not every man can pull this off. You got to gave a lot of heart to keep it going,” the New Straits Times quoted him as saying looking at his sprawling 22-bedroom home in Kampung Tebauk.

The businessman has sort of become a celebrity in his own right among the village menfolk, who wonder how he is managing to keep all four wives happy in the same house.

“I get that (question) a lot. I always give the same answer. If you want to take that (polygamous) road, you must have understanding, bravery, and firmness,” he said.

Arifin’s first marriage was to Fatimah Abdullah in 1971, and his fourth was in 1989 to nurse Wan Akma Wan Abd Rahman.

In between, he married Chinese convert Roslina Soh, and Surizah Salleh.

They bore him nine boys and eight girls, now aged between 12 and 38. His eldest grandchild is 18 while the youngest is two.

He said except for Roslina, whose family initially were not agreeable to her conversion and polygamous marriage, the other two wives had no problems accepting his proposal.

“I courted them and in less than a year I proposed. I think they appreciated the fact that I was being very open and honest about my other wives.

“The secret is being fair. From their finances, to gifts, and of course to the loving,” he said with a twinkle in his eye.

Roslina’s eldest daughter Suhaili, 26, said the bond among her step-siblings was strong.

“There is no such thing as step-siblings among us. We are brothers and sisters. Period,” she said.

Arifin jokingly had one last word for the unconvinced when asked why he did not stop at two or three wives.

“Two represents a bicycle; you need balancing. Three is like a heavy trishaw, but four is like a car - you just start the ignition and cruise along,” he said. (ANI)