The deputy prime minister says the government has always been consistent about the issue and its position has not changed.
Deputy Prime Minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail says the child marriage case in Gua Musang, Kelantan, is still being probed. (Bernama pic)
PETALING JAYA: Deputy Prime Minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail has reiterated that the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government is against child marriages and taking steps to raise the minimum age of marriage to 18 years old.
She said the government had always been consistent about the issue and its stand had not changed.
“We note the distress caused and the concerns raised by the incident involving a 41-year-old Malaysian man who allegedly married an 11-year-old Thai national living in Gua Musang, Kelantan,” she said in a statement today.
“Our stand is clear and has consistently been the one expressed on July 2,” she said.
“We unequivocally oppose child marriages and are taking steps to raise the minimum age of marriage to 18 years. My officers are already working on this.
“The specific incident in Gua Musang is still under active investigation by multiple agencies. We are coordinating this investigation.”
Wan Azizah said it was not wise to prejudge the issue before all the evidence had been gathered and the investigations were completed.
“As the government, we have to act within the law of the federation.
“This is what the rule of law means. The actions we take in dealing with this alleged incident of child marriage must be based on evidence,” she said.
She said the government would issue a statement on the matter only after the investigations had been completed.
“While we understand the anger this incident has caused, it is important to not let our personal feelings dictate the course of actions we should take.
“It would be unjust to lynch someone by social media because of how we feel about the issue,” she added.
Wan Azizah’s statement came in the wake of criticisms from several quarters about the government’s stance regarding child marriages.
They were referring to the case of Che Abdul Karim Che Hamid, a 41-year-old rubber tapper from Kelantan who made headlines for marrying an 11-year-old girl.
He was fined RM1,800 by the Gua Musang Shariah Court after pleading guilty to marrying a minor without the prior consent from the court and engaging in polygamay without permission from his spouse. -FMT
Stop talking nonsense...if ur serious this would have been a closed issue by now. Just say ur not daring to go against ur teaching...if that’s the case bring back slavery...we are leaving at 21st century and I don’t think u have evolved
ReplyDelete