Thinking marriage just isn't for you?

Given the high expenses associated with the lifelong commitment of marriage, a group of 50 middle-aged Chinese men from Teluk Intan, Perak have entered into a collective agreement to remain abstinent for the rest of their lives. 

As reported by Utusan Malaysia, these men are of the views that the expenditure of planning a wedding reception and bride dowries, is simply not worth the hassle. As a result, they would rather remain celibate for the rest of their lives while surrounded by like-minded individuals.

This group of men are now official members of the Old Bachelors Association, as they'd like to call themselves.

The group would frequently congregate on a pier by the Perak River in Teluk Intan, Perak, to shoot the breeze. They recently adorned the pier with Jalur Gemilang buntings to commemorate their official ties as Perak's official permanent bachelors. 

According to an interview with Utusan Malaysia, a member who only wanted to be identified as Liong explained that it is not because they do not want to marry, but because they cannot afford the high cost of a wedding.

Another member, Lee Tiong Lai (79), admitted that marriage wasn't entirely out of the question but was quick to abandon the idea after learning that weddings are prohibitively expensive. He admitted to having a girlfriend once upon a time, but the girlfriend's family demanded RM250,000 as dowry which was admittedly too high a price tag for him. 

"I only grow vegetables for a living, so how am I supposed to come up with that much money?" he wondered.

Lee felt disappointed and unfulfilled at times as he watched his friends marry and start families. Although those thoughts would be rather shortlived as he would then realise he was happy with his decision. At the end of the day, he did not regret not marrying who he thought was the love of his life at the time.

"There is no marriage, no problems. Furthermore, raising a child is difficult if you lack financial resources. Nowadays, getting married is difficult if you don't have RM250,000."

Are marriages in Malaysia really that high maintenance these days? What do you think? Comment your thoughts!