Child marriage: Sometimes I feel 18 a bit ‘lanjut’, says Shafie

(FMT) – Chief Minister Shafie Apdal says Sabah will take all views into consideration before deciding if an amendment needed to be made to its laws on the legal minimum age for marriage in the state.

Commenting on the remarks by Sabah mufti Bungsu @ Aziz Jaafar who had called for the legal minimum age of marriage for Muslim girls to be set at 14 for girls and 16 for boys, the Warisan president said the issue had to be further discussed.

“We have to see the methods and practices already in place because we know some are based on religious matters. Sometimes (I also feel) 18 is a bit lanjut (late). Some people even marry at 17.

“However, I will need to refer to the mufti because he is a religious authority and I am confident he knows about the (Islamic) laws and whether (the age limit) should be 15, 16 or 18,” he said today.

Women’s groups, such as the Sabah Women Action Resource Group (Sawo) and also Sabah Wanita Umno, have criticised the statement by Bungsu in line with the push from the federal government to raise the minimum age requirement to 18 for women to marry in the country.

Bungsu was yesterday quoted as saying that “some of these children can already be considered mature”.

Shafie said he understood the criticism against the proposal. However, he remained non-committal when asked if Sabah would push for a similar legislation as the central government.

“It’s not that we are not pushing for it… I am not an expert in these matters and I have to refer to those who are, be it on religion and existing laws (or) how other countries view the issue.

“It doesn’t mean we will disregard the difference in opinions but we need to speak and listen to all sides before it becomes a law,” he said, adding that only then would Sabah convey its stand to the federal government.

Shafie said the push at the federal level was most likely influenced by events involving underage marriages that took place in the peninsula.

Meanwhile, Sabah PAS commissioner Mohd Aminuddin Aling fully supported the proposal by Bungsu.

“Sabah PAS is worried by the comments and views by community leaders and the public in general in social media which belittled and, in some cases mocked, the view (by Bungsu).

“We consider the view by the Sabah mufti as based on religious knowledge and is credible. It must be understood that it doesn’t mean telling girls to marry at 14 but in the event there is a case, syarak (religious) consideration must come first,” he said.

Aminuddin also called on policymakers and those in power to prioritise the views of religious leaders and clerics when making decisions.

“This is because the religious views come from Allah and they must come first,” Aminuddin said in a statement today.