State Law and Native Affairs Minister Aidi Moktar said underage marriage was not an issue in Sabah.

“The uproar was caused by a 41-year-old man marrying an 11-year-old girl in Kelantan. That incident happened in Kelantan, not in Sabah,” he told reporters here today.

He said Muslims still had to get permission from the shariah court before they were allowed to marry below the legal age.

“The judge will hear the application and they will not hastily grant the permission,” he said.

He said the status quo would remain in Sabah, and the state would adopt a wait-and-see approach to see developments at the federal level.

“We still use the existing law, that the age limit for women is 16 and for men 18,” he said.

Aidi was asked to comment on the move by the Selangor government to raise the legal age of marriage for females from 16 to 18.

Aidi said in some cases, parents had to marry off their daughters for personal reasons, and as such, the court had little choice.

“It all depends. Maybe a 15-year-old is considered acceptable. But to allow an 11-year-old, that is too much,” he said.

The debate on child marriage surfaced following the marriage of a 41-year-old man with an 11-year-old girl in Gua Musang, Kelantan, in June.