Text recovered by OCR from a scanned copy — section numbers and wording may be wrong. Check the official PDF on lom.agc.gov.my before citing.
s 1 Short title and application
(1) This Act may be cited as the Guardianship of Infants Act 1961.
(2) This Act shall apply to the States of *Peninsular Malaysia only.
(3) Nothing in this Act shall apply in any State to persons professing the religion of Islam until this Act has been adopted by a law made by the Legislature of that State; and any such law may provide that—
(a) nothing in this Act which is contrary to the religion of Islam or the custom of the Malays shall apply to any person under the age of eighteen years who professes the religion of Islam and whose father professes or professed at the date of his death that religion or, in the case of an illegitimate child, whose mother so professes or professed that religion; and
(b) in the case of any other person, this Act, so far as they are contrary to the religion of Islam, shall cease to apply to such person upon his professing the religion of Islam, if at the date of such professing he has completed his age of eighteen years or, if not having completed such age, he professes the religion of Islam with the consent of the person who under this Act is the guardian of the person of the infant.
*NOTE—All references to “West Malaysia” shall be construed as reference to “Peninsular Malaysia”– see the Interpretation (Amendment) Act 1997 [Act A996], subsection 5(2).
Malay text (authoritative)
(1) Akta ini bolehlah dinamakan Akta Penjagaan Tajuk Budak 1961. ringkas pemakaian.
(2) Akta ini hendaklah terpakai bagi Negeri-Negeri Malaysia Barat sahaja.
(3) Tiada apa-apa jua dalam Akta ini boleh terpakai dalam mana-mana Negeri bagi orang-orang yang menganuti agama Islam sehingga Akta ini telah diterima-pakai melalui suatu undang-undang yang dibuat oleh Badan Perundangan bagi Negeri itu; dan mana-mana undang-undang sedemikian boleh memperuntukkan bahawa—
(a) tiada apa-apa jua dalam Akta ini yang bertentangan dengan agama Islam atau adat orang-orang Melayu boleh terpakai bagi mana-mana orang di bawah umur lapan belas tahun yang menganuti agama Islam dan yang bapanya menganuti atau telah menganuti agama itu pada tarikh kematiannya atau,
IS. 1-2] Tafstran. dalam hal seseorang anak tak sah taraf, yang ibunya menganuti atau telah menganuti agama itu; dan
(b) dalam hal mana-mana orang lain, Akta ini, setakat yang bertentangan dengan Islamı, hendaklah terhenti terpakai bagi orams itu apabila dia menganuti agama Islam, jika pada tarikh penganutan itu dia telah genap umur lapan belas tahun atau, jika tidak genap umur itu, dia menganuti agama Islam dengan keizinan orang yang di bawah Akta ini adalah penjaga diri budak itu.
Text as at 1 January 2006 (LOM reprint); amendments made after that date may not be incorporated.
Source: Laws of Malaysia, Attorney General's Chambers of Malaysia (lom.agc.gov.my). Not a copy of the Gazette printed by the Government Printer (Interpretation Acts 1948 and 1967, s 61).
