科威特一位國會議員近期提出議案，建議政府為該國男性公民娶第二個妻子提供資助，以解決國內未婚女子過多的問題。這位議員表示，該議案不但可以為未婚女子解決婚姻問題，同時還能鼓勵喪偶或離異的男女重新組織家庭。此前，科威特政府已有政策為初婚的男性公民提供4000第納爾（約合1.4萬美元）的“婚姻援助金”，其中一半為結婚獎勵，另一半則為安家初期的免息貸款。不過，此次議案中獲得援助的男性需要滿足兩個條件：首先，該男性需得到現任妻子的書面許可，或者是喪偶或離異狀態；其次，該男性要娶的女子必須為喪偶或離異，或是40歲以上的未婚女子。該議案將提交國會審議，一經通過便將成為法律。

A Kuwaiti man and his wife walk outside one of the biggest malls in Kuwait city in 2005. (Agencies)

A Kuwaiti MP proposed Wednesday state-aid for male citizens to take second wives, in a bid to reduce the large number of unmarried women in the oil-rich emirate.

"The proposal aims at solving the problem of unmarried women, which is a problem facing our society, and encourages widows and divorced men and women to form new families," independent Shiite MP Faisal al-Duwaisan said.

The Gulf state already grants Kuwaiti men who wed a female citizen for the first time a "marriage aid" of 4,000 dinars (14,000 dollars, 11,000 euros), half of which is a grant and the rest an interest-free loan with easy installments.

But Duwaisan wants the government to grant an additional aid package for men to take second wives, provided certain conditions are met.

The prospective grooms must obtain written permission from their existing wives to marry again, or they must be widowed or divorced.

The women they marry must be widows, divorced or at least 40 years of age and never married, Duwaisan said in his proposal, which was submitted to parliament.

Parliamentary panels will review the proposal, then send it to parliament for consideration. If approved, it will become law.

Kuwait, the fifth-largest producer inside the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, provides a cradle-to-grave welfare system by offering most public services at highly-subsidised rates. Education and health are free for citizens.

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(Agencies)

Vocabulary:

MP: Member of Parliament，國會議員

（中國日報網英語點津 Helen 編輯）