He said he was also in communication with Deputy Prime Minister Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail on the matter.
“We are talking to Islamic bodies, and I think they are also thinking along the same lines as the rest of us in wanting to protect the interests of children.
“At the moment, discussions are open and we want to look at the various implications that may arise if we set the age limit at either 16 or 18,” he told reporters after visiting the new Kota Kinabalu court complex here today.
He said traditional marriages in Sabah and Sarawak, where children below 16 are allowed to get married with their parents’ consent, were also part of the discussion.
“We have to take that into consideration as well as the Islamic law where marriages for (children) below 16 are allowed with the consent of the chief minister or menteri besar.
“The most important thing is to ensure the child’s interests are taken care of. We want to make sure the child is not abused and we don’t want to allow paedophiles to take advantage of this loophole just to satisfy their desires.”
He said they also wanted to protect children from a religious and traditional standpoint.
“Once that is done, we will formulate a law to accommodate this situation,” he said, adding that he hoped all parties could come to an understanding as soon as possible.
The legal minimum age for marriage under civil law in Malaysia for men and women is 18. Girls aged 16 are required to get approval from the chief minister or menteri besar if they want to get married.
The age limit for Muslims to get married is 18 for boys and 16 for girls. Individuals below the age limit must obtain consent from the shariah court.