'Irresponsible' - PKR Youth slams Rais over lower voting age comment

 

The decision to amend Article 119(1) of the Federal Constitution to reduce the voting age to 18 from 21 was a bipartisan one which was unanimously agreed upon by all MPs and ratified by the Dewan Negara, and thus it needs to be defended by Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, said Selangor PKR Youth deputy chief Dzulhilmi Zainol.

He reminded Muhyiddin that on Nov 3, 2020, de facto law minister Takiyuddin Hassan has stated that the lowering of the voting age to 18 and automatic voter registration were expected to be completed by July 2021.

Dzulhilmi took exception to the remarks of Dewan Negara president Rais Yatim who was reported as saying that the decision to lower the voting age to 18  starting this July was made hastily.

Rais, who is 79 this year and was first elected to Parliament in 1974, had said during an interview that those aged 18 are not yet ready to fully commit to their democratic rights in life, claiming teenagers are still under the authority of their parents.

Rais, who himself has just made a return to public service when he was sworn in as Dewan Negara president on Sept 2, 2020, added that giving them the major responsibility of deciding the country’s future via the ballot box is unseemly, implying the decision to lower the voting age was a hasty one by the Pakatan Harapan administration.

His views did not impress Dzulhilmi.

 "This is an irresponsible statement by a person who should be aware that the amendment was a bipartisan decision that was supported across the political divide by all MPs in the Dewan Rakyat on July 16, 2019," he said.

He urged the Muhyiddin's government to be bold in reaffirming its commitment and confirming the status of the voting age implementation.

"It looks alarming when up to this moment, there has not been any clear response (to Rais) from the Ministry of Youth and Sports which is supposed to be responsible for fighting for the rights of young people in the country," he said.

"Young people need to be given their rights accordingly to have a say in determining the future of the country," he added.

Dzulhilmi also reminded the government that the youths in Malaysia are facing unprecedented challenges with the latest statistics in December 2020, showing the worst unemployment rate - at 13.2 percent - since 1989.

Meanwhile, PKR's Bayan Baru MP Sim Tze Tzin said on Twiter that any attempt to postpone the Undi18 amendment would be an insult to Parliament and the constitution.

"Remember, Parliament has passed unanimous constitutional amendments! Undi18 is the promise of the Harapan Manifesto that promises democratic reform by giving a voice to the youth to determine the future of the country.

"It is also a bi-partisan success in Parliament and a historic success because no constitutional amendment has ever received unanimous support," said Sim.

This is also in line with developments in world democracy and, in the Asian region, Malaysia is one of the last countries to create such a law, he added. - Mkini