PAS sets conditional support for lowering of voting age to 18

PAS will not give its unconditional support to the government's plan to lower the voting age from 21 to 18, which will require an amendment to the Federal Constitution.

Instead, PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man (centre, below) said lawmakers from his party will only vote in favour of the amendment, which needs a two-thirds majority in the Dewan Rakyat, if certain conditions are met.

"We will support it... with conditions," he told journalists at the Parliament lobby when asked about PAS' position.

These conditions include the government introducing automatic registration and a mechanism to make voting compulsory.

"We have four million qualified voters who are not registered as voters. 

"The government should resolve this first instead of lowering the voting age," he said.

Tuan Ibrahim added that the low voter turnout in recent by-elections was also a concern.

"Automatic voter registration should be introduced... there should also be a mechanism to compel people to vote," he said. - Mkini