SABAH mufti Bungsu @ Aziz Jaafar today clarified his call to lower the minimum age to marry to 14 for girls and 16 for boys.

He said this was only his personal stand and that he had no authority whatsoever to implement it.

He added his statement had been misconstrued and that he had only responded to media queries by giving his “personal opinion”.

“I’m aware of what I said but I was asked for my personal opinion. Hence, I said it should be lowered down to 14 for girls and 16 for boys,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

Bungsu said his comments did not reflect the stand of the Sabah mufti’s office or the law.

“The laws are set by lawmakers, and the courts are the ones that enforce them,” he said.

Bungsu had earlier been quoted by the New Straits Times as going against setting the minimum age of marriage at 18 for girls.

Earlier, Chief Minister Shafie Apdal said he would take the mufti’s views into consideration before deciding if an amendment was needed to change the legal minimum age for marriages in Sabah.

“We have to see the methods and practices already in place because we know some are based on religion.

“Sometimes, (I feel) 18 is a bit lanjut (late). Some people even marry at 17.

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

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

Sabah PAS commissioner Mohd Aminuddin Aling, however, supported Bungsu.

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

“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,” Aminuddin said in a statement earlier today.

He also called on policymakers and those in power to prioritise the views of religious leaders and ulama when making decisions. – September 23, 2018.