Kota bharu: Kelantan police chief Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mamat emphasized his recent proposal to review laws concerning consensual sex cases classified as rape was purely his personal opinion and not reflective of any official position.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Mohd Yusoff stated there was no necessity to retract his statement despite receiving criticism from various parties. He argued, “Why should I apologise or withdraw the statement when it was merely my personal opinion? It is up to the government whether to take it into account or not. Even if it is not considered, it is not an issue, as Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail has said it was my personal view.”

He made these remarks to reporters following the Kelantan investiture ceremony in celebration of Sultan Muhammad V’s 56th birthday at Istana Balai Besar. Mohd Yusoff explained that his proposal stemmed from police investigations in Kelantan, which revealed that most statutory rape cases involved consensual acts between minors. This situation raised concerns about fairness, given that typically only one party faces prosecution in court.

He further assured that he would retract the proposal if it caused confusion or seemed insensitive and expressed regret if his earlier statement had upset any individuals. On September 23, Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution characterized Mohd Yusoff’s proposal regarding underage consensual sexual offences as his personal opinion.