Implement Undi18 ruling 'without hesitation', student union urges govt

 

The Universiti Malaya Students’ Union (UMSU) urges the government to implement the lowering of the voting age following the decision of the High Court in Kuching last week.

It said that in the wake of this decision, the government should put into motion the act of reducing the minimum age to vote without hesitation.

“This effort would prove that the government respects the judicial branch in its decision,” the student union said in a statement today.

UMSU claimed that the effort had previously been hampered when the previous government delayed the implementation of Undi18 from July 2021 to September 2022.

The High Court in Kuching ordered the government to implement the lowering of the voting age to 18 nationwide by Dec 31, this year.

Previously, the Election Commission (EC) had announced the postponement of the implementation of Undi18, including automatic voter registration, to Sept 1 next year.

The decision means that youths aged 18 to 20 will likely not be able to vote in the next general election.

Subsequently, a group of 18 Malaysian youths, representing the Undi18 movement, filed a judicial review on April 2 against the then prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin, the government, and the EC.

This legal action is before the Kuala Lumpur High Court and will come up for decision on Oct 21.

The Undi18 group seeks for the government to bring into operation by July this year the provision, Section 3(a) of the Constitutional (Amendment) Act 2019.

Promulgated during the previous Pakatan Harapan federal administration in 2019, the provision seeks to amend Article 119 of the Federal Constitution to lower the minimum voting age from 21 to 18.

The amendment to article 119 of the Federal Constitution was passed during the Pakatan Harapan administration two years ago.

Meanwhile, citing a possible lack of awareness among rural youths regarding the decision and current affairs, UMSU urged the relevant ministries to create programmes to educate these groups.

“UMSU urges the Education Ministry and Higher Education Ministry to create programmes that will cater for these individuals.

“These programmes should educate the masses on the fundamentals of being a voter, their rights as well as their responsibility as citizens to decide the governance of the country,” said UMSU.

Additionally, the union suggested that if youths can vote at 18, there was no reason the autonomy of a university student should be restricted by the provisions in the Universities and University Colleges Act 1971 (UUCA).

"Hence, we urge for the abolition of the UUCA to ensure the students are able to enjoy the autonomy that they deserve in the first place," said UMSU.

The UUCA was amended in 2018, allowing tertiary students to participate in activities organised by political parties on campus.

The then education minister, Maszlee Malik, had promised that the law would be dismantled and replaced in 2020. - Mkini