Kelantan police chief Mohd Yusoff Mamat defended his suggestion to revise rape laws covering consensual underage sex and refused to apologize despite criticism. He told reporters the proposal reflected his personal assessment rather than any official stance and said Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution confirmed this distinction. The police chief noted that investigations in his state revealed most statutory rape cases involved mutual consent between minors, while courts prosecuted only one party.
Mohd Yusoff stated he would withdraw the recommendation if it created confusion or appeared insensitive to affected groups. He expressed regret for upsetting anyone with his earlier comments made during the state investiture ceremony for Sultan Muhammad V's birthday. The home minister had previously clarified on Sept 23 that the police chief's views on handling underage sexual offenses represented individual opinion rather than government policy.
Mohd Yusoff stated he would withdraw the recommendation if it created confusion or appeared insensitive to affected groups. He expressed regret for upsetting anyone with his earlier comments made during the state investiture ceremony for Sultan Muhammad V's birthday. The home minister had previously clarified on Sept 23 that the police chief's views on handling underage sexual offenses represented individual opinion rather than government policy.
