Divorce-hit Terengganu state in Malaysia is stepping in to save marriages of couples troubled by body odour, humdrum sex and boring pyjamas worn by spouses.
These are among the reasons for the high divorce rate and the state government is coming up with innovative ways to improve sexual relations, especially among newly-weds.
Top of its list is to invite cosmetic firms to introduce exotic and sensuous fragrances that can arouse sexual desire.
And husbands and wives are being encouraged to bathe together, The Star newspaper said Monday.
The measure has religious sanction in generally conservative Malaysia.
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State Religious and Information Committee deputy chairman Muhammad Ramli Nuh believes that these moves can curb divorce rates among young couples.
He told the newspaper that at least three in every 10 marriages in the state end in divorce. Separation was now the trend among couples aged between 25 and 30 years.
Nuh said couples who had been married for less than five years and were on the verge of separation had told counsellors that routine sex and body odour were the main reasons for them to want to break up.
He was bewildered that some of these couples said their spouses' old-fashioned pyjamas - sarong and t-shirt - and bad smell during intimate moments made their sex life monotonous or turned them off completely.
'I know of one case where a separation was triggered just because the spouse smelled of fish crackers,' he said.
He said the state government - through its Family Development Board - was asking cosmetic firms to introduce special perfumes for the couples so they could 'sustain their relationships, hopefully for eternity'.
Nuh said married couples should bathe together to make their relationship more exciting.
'I met this elderly couple in Kelantan, they bathe together although they are grandparents; they enjoy a blissful marriage, this is when I mooted the idea where this method could be introduced as part of the pre-marital courses conducted in the state,' he said.
Nuh said the state government was also seeking consultants to provide grooming workshops.
'This workshop is not only meant for the wives but also to provide men with tips on how to be attractive to their spouse at all times,' he said.
He said these consultants could also suggest the right lingerie to be worn.
Taking a cue from him, the state government had engaged marriage consultants to mediate between feuding couples, the newspaper said.
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