Unprecedented, says Dr M as bill is carried without any objection

Dr Mahathir Mohamad thanked the opposition for keeping to their word to support the bill to lower the voting age and for automatic voter registration.

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad described today as “historic” because it was the first time a bill to amend the Federal Constitution had been passed in the Dewan Rakyat without any objection.

“This has never happened before. I have been in parliament for a long time (and this is the first time) a law is passed with the approval of all … no one objected,” he told reporters.

All 211 MPs in the house voted for the bill, which Mahathir tabled earlier in the day, to lower the voting age from 21 to 18 and to allow automatic registration of new voters.

The 94-year-old prime minister also said it was part of the “new era” where the opposition can agree with a move taken by the government in totality.

He thanked the opposition members for keeping to their word to support the bill.

Mahathir said Malaysians had shown they were ready to vote early as they had demonstrated that they were a mature society.

“During (the last) elections, there were no riots, it was a smooth transition of power,” he said.

In GE14, there were 14 million voters, and today’s approval will add another 7.8 million to the list.

Mahathir said there were a lot of people who did not previously register to vote but would now be counted as voters.

“We will register them automatically,” he said,referring to the Election Commission. - FMT