Six states urged to allow those aged 18 and above stand for elections

 

Youth movement Undi18 called upon six states to amend their State Constitutions to allow those aged 18 and above to be candidates in the next general election.

In a statement yesterday, the movement said it would reach out to these states to work together towards the implementation of Calon18.

The six states are Kedah, Pahang, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Malacca and Johor.

"Undi18 commends the state governments of Perlis, Perak, Kelantan, Terengganu, Sabah and Sarawak and most recently, Penang, for honouring the spirit of the Federal Constitution as demonstrated by the amendment of their respective constitutions to lower the minimum age for a member of the State Legislative Assembly.

"The Undi18 Bill, otherwise known as the Constitution (Amendment) Act 2019 has been passed unanimously in July 2019," Undi18 said.

It consists of three parts, including Article 3(a), which refers to lowering the minimum age for voters in federal and state elections from 21 years old to 18 years old; Article 3(b) refers to automatic voter registration for Malaysians and finally, Article 4 refers to the lowering of the age of requirement to be a member of the State Legislative Assembly from 21 years old to 18 years old.

"The amendment of the Federal Constitution for Article 4 warrants the State Constitutions to adhere to it, as it is the supreme law of our land.

”We call upon the state governments of Kedah, Pahang, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Malacca and Johor to do the same," the movement said.

"Undi18 will be reaching out to these state governments to work together towards the implementation of Calon18 and the empowerment of young Malaysians to obtain their constitutional right to stand for elections.

"We believe that the lowering of the minimum age to be a member of the State Legislative Assembly signals a strong message that state governments are encouraging youths to be more actively involved in representing their communities," it added.

Expediting the process of Undi18 and automatic voter registration is among the reforms deal inked yesterday, between the Ismail Sabri Yaakob-led government and Pakatan Harapan.

The Election Commission was instructed to comply with a recent ruling by the High Court in Kuching. 

The court allowed a judicial review application by five Sarawakian youths to compel the federal government to implement Undi18 by Dec 31.

On Sept 7, de facto Law Minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said there was no directive yet on whether to appeal the court verdict.

The implementation of Undi18 is expected to see a total of 1.9 million individuals aged between 18 and 21 be registered as new voters, together with the 4.4 million eligible individuals above 21 yet to be registered, Wan Junaidi had said. - Mkini