Minister shoots down MP’s ‘abhorrent’ suggestion

KUALA LUMPUR: “It is abhorrent to suggest that a rapist, who should be prosecuted, has the means to escape legal responsibility by marrying his victim,” Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan said.

He was referring to a suggestion made by Tasek Gelugor member of parliament Datuk Shabudin Yahaya that rape victims could have an opportunity to lead a healthy and good life if they married their rapists.

Rahman, in a statement, said he was shocked and disappointed upon reading the comments made by Shabudin in Dewan Rakyat yesterday.

“Every child has the right to live, dream and have fun. While it is the parents’ responsibility to provide a decent childhood for their children, the government and lawmakers have the responsibility to protect the best interest of Malaysian children.

“It is with that conviction in mind that I believe laws are enacted to protect our children, especially underage girls.”

Rahman said under Section 375 (G) of the Penal Code, it is considered statutory rape for a man to have sex with a girl under 16, with or without her consent.

Earlier, Shabudin said girls aged between 9 and 12 were “physically and spiritually” ready for marriage.

He said this when objecting to an amendment to the Sexual Offences Against Children Bill 2017 proposed by DAP’s Kulai MP Teo Nie Ching, who wanted the bill to also spell out the invalidity of child marriages.

The proposed amendment was voted down and the bill was subsequently passed with no major changes.

In explaining the reason for his opinion, Shabudin said it was also not fair to assume that a person who committed a sexual offence would continue being a bad person.